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Taylor, William, 1821-1902

The model preacher

THE MODEL PREACHER:

COMPRISED IN

A SERIES OF LETTERS

ILLUSTRATING

THE BEST MODE OF PREACHING THE GOSPEL.

BY

/

EEV. WILLIAM TAAXOR,

OF THE CALIFORNIA COXFEUKNCE,

AUTHOR OP "seven years' street PREACniNG IN SAN

FRANCISCO," "CALIFORNIA LIFE ILLUSTRATED,"

"address to YOUNG AMERICA," ETC.

He that winneth souls is wise. — Solomon.

Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needctl
not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. — St. Paul.

Fourteen tu TJiousand

C I N C I N N ATI:

PUBLISHED BY POE & HITCHCOCK
FOR THE AUTHOR.

E. P. THOMPSON, PRINTER.

1S63.

Entered, accor(lin>| to Act of Con;^re3s, in the year 1859,

BY D. L. BOSS,

In the Clerk's Office of the DLstrict Court for the Southern Di.^tric
of 01) io-

EEVMU.1A1.I M'^KENDPEE

X AA Ai U Ajk U vjc

PREFACE

In writing to my young brother, Archibald
Taylor — who is a traveling preacher in Oregon —
on the subject of the naost efficient mode of
preaching the Gospel, I conceived the idea of
copying and publishing my letters, for the benefit
of other young preachers and the public at large.
As the result of that conception, I now respect-
fully submit to ministers and people "The Model

Prkiciier."

TiiE Author.

CrxcixNATi, August 15, 1859,

CONTENTS.

LETTER I.

ARRESTING ATTENTION.

First thing necessary to effective preaching — Every man, woman,
and child preoccupied — Horses, hogs, and cattle in church — A
friend trying to give attention — Criticisms — Speculations — Love-
glances — Taking patterns, and pricing goods in church — Boys in
Jones's orchard — Jimmy in the well — Gathering in the wanderings
of their minds — Frank Dodge in church — Firstly — Secondly —
Thirdly — Benediction — Joyful tidings — Little Charlie — Buried
alive in a California ranche — Took his lumber-yard to church —
Lady passenger — Her troubles — The skunk — Not the animal for the
pulpit Pages 11-25

LETTER II.

S UR PRISE S.

How to arrest attention — Surprise power illustrated — California con-
ference surprised — The dodge of the dog — Dreadful surprise in
Stamford, Connecticut — Dog diving for a child — Dr. "Wit — Sur-
prises adapted to an essential law of humanity — Plays of chil-
dren— Advice of a minister — A more excellent way — Demands of
this law illustrated — The caged eagle — Dignity of humanity —
United in marriage bonds with divinity — Orang-outang — Last
words of Jesus — Caged eagle out and gone — Pursuit of happi-
ness— How does txod regard this law of our being ? 26-43

LETTER III.

SURPRISE POWER — CONTINUED.

Surprises of God's books — Nature — Providence — Inspired word —
How God makes the landscape — Varieties of nature — One of God's

5

b CONTENTS.

rivers — Surprise jiower of the Bible — Abraham — Joseph in Egypt —
Joseph Gennella — How Bible writers tell it — Model of Moses
stolen — Forged copy-right of the devil — The old squatter and mo-
nopolizer— Satan professed religion and remodeled the Church — His
claims to the best music ignored — His stratagem to defeat the ends

of Gospel preaching Pages 44-73

I

LETTER IV.

SURPEISES APPROPRIATE TO THE PULPIT.

Seven vai'ieties inappropriate — Dow climbing a sapling — Introduc-
tion to a sermon on swearing — Egyptian legend — Fork for a pack-
saddle — Striking a match — False alarm — Bow's colored angel —
llunning on a rainbow with a basketful of stars — Riding on a
streak of lightning — The devil's drag-net — The unterrified preach-
er— "Grasping at the stars and sticking in the mud" — Flight to
the dome of heaven — Virgin of truth murdered — Surprises appro-
priate to the pulpit — Two varieties — Inherent surprise power of
truth — Novelty of a new Gospel — IIow Jesus did — Surprise notes —
Shadow without the substance 74-92

LETTER V.

THE MODEL PREACHER.

A model preacher by Cox — How the model preacher did ii — Five
leading characteristics of his preaching 93-102

LETTER VI.

CLEARNESS.

Subject defined and illustrated — Ministerial duty defined by St.
Paul — Young embassadors in the wilderness — The preacher read-
ing Caughey's sermon to his peojile — St. Paul and the jailer — How
the leper was cured 103-116

LETTER VII.

CLEARNESS — CONTINUED.

Hospital for the cure of souls — The greatest practical error in tho
Church — Perplexities of brother W. — IIow to get out of the laby-
rinth—AValkin- in tho liffht 117-123

CONTENTS. 7

LETTER VIII.

EARN EST X ESS.

Gospel philanthropy — Man in Niagara— How he got out — Gospel
patriotism — Patriot's creed — Arnold Winkelried — Patriotism of
Jesus — Of the martyrs — "Baptized for the dead" — Nathan
Coffin — Arnold and Judas, the traitors — Drummed out of camp —
George Washington on his knees — General Joshua — Patriots of
the Revolution — Jonathan routing the Philistines — Patriots of
Jesus Pages 129-149

LETTER IX.

NATURALNESS.

Subject stated and illustrated — Eight causes of unnaturalness in tho
pulpit — Test of an unnatural style — Naturalness of the model
preacher — Variety of the heart's emotions, and intonations of
the voice — " Do n't spoil the pump " — Pronunciation — Empha-
sis— PvUle for imparting thought and emotion — " No such thing as
naturalness " — AVhere to find it — Little orators — Dignity of the
pulpit — Solemnity of the Gospel — Solemn things, not "big
words" — The lost boy — "Lizzie in the well 1" — Child rescued
from a burning house — The Shunamite's son — President Robin-
son— Rev. J. Poisel — Lost son found — Terrible railroad accident —
Battle of Solferino 150-175

LETTER X.

LITER ALNESS.

Literal facts and figures — Four-fold end of literalness stated and il-
lustrated— Rule for selecting illustrative incidents — Test by which
to prove their power — Rule for limiting their exciting eflTect —
" Shouting over the wrong heaven " — Laughing in Church — A
doctor of divinity smiled under preaching — A preacher abused — ■
Uses and abuses of tears and smiles — Examples of laughing in tho
Bible — Literalness of scientific teaching 176-193

LETTER XI.

A PPROPRIATENESS.

Subject defined and illustrated — Perfect adaptation of Gospel truth
to humanity — Armstrong behind the door — Can't drive souls to

8 CONTENTS.

Christ — Three rules for winning souls to Christ — Application of the
first rule illustrated — Points of agreement — Chords and discords —
Leader of the mob appointed to keep order — Effect of this rule at a
camp meeting — How its opposite worked at a camp meeting — A
Virginia sheriff arrested — The thing that settled John Carlisle —
llow Ben. Currier was served Pages 194-212

LETTER XII.

APPROPRIATENESS — CONTINUED.

First street preaching in San Francisco — The gambler's funeral —
Fighting preachers — How to manage men, dogs, and bulls — St.
Paul's example — Wesley mobbed — Whitefield in Moorfields —
Charles Wesley — Beginning on the points of disagreement — Its
effects — Rarey on horse-taming — Effect of this law on prisoners^
Two theories authorizing Gospel polemics — ** Anathema mara-
natha " — Law of sympathy defended — Nathan and David — St.
Paul's mode — St. Stephen's last sermon 213-235

LETTER XIII.

APPROPRIATENESS — CONTINUED.

Three rules for winning souls restated, and last two illustrated —
" The wretched man " — A variety of poor comforters — Out of jail
and happy — Springs of Jericho healed — " A good tree " — Discus-
sion with aunt Helen — One-ideaism — Commenced on the inside of
the colored brother 236-250

LETTER XIV.

THE master's MODEL.

Characteristics restated and tested by the pattern shown in the
mount — The Gospel arch — Examples of Divine and apostolio
preaching — Jesus and the lawyer — Peter preaching in Solomon's
porch — Peter and John before the council — Apostolic prayer meet-
ing— Dr. Luke's revival notice — Brother Ratcliff — Wide applica-
tion and definite results of '' the model "—Examples of its effi-
ciency—Whitefield, Wesley, Summerfield, Spurgcon, Caughey,
Beecher, J. B. Gough— The model not confined to the pulpit— How
the infidel was led to Christ— How " Bud Thomas " fixed the law-
yer— Three deductions 251-274

CONTENTS. 9

LETTER XV.

PULPIT O n A T 0 K S .

L)iu they conform to the Master's model ? — Chrysostom — Specimen of
his preaching — Bishop Latimer — Ilis "sermon of the plow " —
Chillingworth — The " form of godliness without its power " — John
Bunyan — Sermon*' on the barren fig-tree" — George Whitefield —
Specimens of his preaching — Christmas Evans on '* the fall and
recovery of man " — Spurgeon's preaching — Caughey on " the
omnipotence of faith" Pages 275-372

LETTER XVI.

PUT, PIT ORATORS COXTINUED.

The degree of their conformity to the model of the great Teacher —
Chalmers — British Standard on extempore preaching — Our fathers
in the Gospel compared with their sons — Jonathan Edwards —
Jesse Lee — Dr. Fisk — Cookman — Dr. Olin — Bishop M'Kendree —
Wm. B. Christie — Russel Bigelow — John Strange — John Collins —
Valentine Cook — Dr. Durbin — Bishop Simpson — Mighty men of
'* one talent" 373-384

LETTER XVII.

MISCELLANEOUS SUGGESTIONS.

Pulpit encyclopedias — Reading sermons — Plagiarism — The man who
stole a sermon — Mixing with politics — How to treat the body —
Physical " preparation for the Sabbath " — Attitude in prayer —
How to speak with ease — " Blue Monday" — Stimulants — Various
kinds — Recipe for wholesome stimulus — Long sermons — Sir
John Scarlett — Exordiums — Virgin gold from the mines 385-403

THE MODEL PREACHER

LETTER I.

ARRESTING ATTENTION.

My Dear Brother, — To preach the Gospel effect-
ively, you must first arrest the attention of your
hearers. The mind of every man, woman, or child
you meet in the country or in the city is preoccupied,
either revolving some theme, or, more probably, in-
dulging a reverie.

The same is true, also, of every person who comes
to hear you preach. Every memory and imagination
constitute the scene of a vast panoramic display of
images and associations as -wide as the world. If,
like the prophet Ezekiel in the ancient temple of Is-
rael, you could " dig a hole through the wall,'' and
look into the secret chambers of the souls of your
hearers, you would see, right there in the Lord's
house, farms and farming implements; horses, hogs,
and cattle; lumber yards and merchandise of every
kind; railroads and canals; bank stocks; commercial
contracts ; deeds and bonds ; houses of every style of
architecture, household furniture, and instruments of
music; an association of old friends and new ones, en-
gaged in public discussions and private confabs on all

12 THE MODEL PREACHER.

the exciting subjects of the times. In many minds
you would see a train of gloomy associations — mis-
takes, forgets, mishaps, and wrongs unredressed.
All these images, and a thousand more, preoccupy
the minds of your hearers, and hold their prooccu-
pancy, passing in and out in almost endless succes-
sion and variety.

Now, sir, it avails nothing for you to arise before
such an assembly and say, "Please to give me your
attention.^' They can't do it. Not one in a thousand
has suflBcient mental discipline to give you undivided
attention, till you arrest it by some power stronger
than the sparkling reverie tide which bears him along
so gently, as scarcely to awake his consciousness of
the fact. High intellectual development and piety
on the part of your hearers, do not enable them to
give you their attention unless you arrest it.

Your friend selects a good position in the audience
room, from which he can see every gesture and catch
every flash of your eye, determining to give you un-
divided attention. Just as he gets himself well fixed
for receiving and digesting every word of truth you
may dispense, his attention is arrested by the open-
ing of the door behind him; he involuntarily turns
his head toward the fellow-worshiper, as he Avalks up
the aisle looking for a seat, and says to himself:
"That man looks very much like an old friend of
mine — my old friend. He went to Chicago and
bought land — increased in value — sold it for one thou-
sand dollars per acre — went to California — wrought in

ARRESTING ATTENTION. 13

the mines — made a pile — went to trading and lost
it — made another raise and went to Oregon — was in
the Indian wars there — came very near losing his
life — went to Australia — was shipwrecked on his voy-
age, and came very near going under. I wish I could
hear what has become of him. Fudge ! What am I
thinking about? I've lost a part of the sermon."

He then tries to gather up and connect the loose
ends of the chain of your discourse, riven and cast
out of his mind by the ghostly image of his old
friend, and now he is intent on hearing you through
without interruption. Eyes and ears open, sir, to re-
ceive some stirring truth that will wake the sympa-
thies of his soul. Following along in the path you
have marked out for his thoughts, he hears you say:
" Some fastidious persons are like the old Pharisees,
of whom our blessed Savior said, *Ye strain at a
gnat and swallow a camel.' "

"Yes," says he to himself, "the boys at school
used to read it, * Strain at a gate and swallow a saw-
mill.' A great set of boys ! Bill Moore married his
cousin. Bart got drowned, poor fellow ! Andy Sni-
der went to Shenandoah and learned the blacksmith
trade. Bob M'Cown is a poor old bachelor," etc.
He chases those boys nearly all over creation before
he wakes up, arrests his reverie, and comes back to
the subject of discourse. Now, sir, he's your friend,
and doing his best to give you his attention.

Around him are others who don't care much
whether they hear you or not. There sits the archi-

14 THE MODEL PKEACHER.

tect criticising, not your sermon, but the style of
your clmrch.

In the next seat is the physiognomist, scanning the
faces of his neighbors, and by his side the phrenolo-
gist, counting the bumps on their heads.

Further back is the young lover, casting his glances
toward the other side of the church.

Up in the amen corner sit the good old fathers,
looking up at you with longing eyes and thirsty souls,
thinking about the good times they had, long ago,
when old father Miller traveled the circuit.

The good sisters on the other side are as variously
and fully engaged; sovcig examining bonnets and
ribbons, some taking patterns of the new style of
dress, some pricing goods.

The mother imagines she sees her boys in neighbor
Jones's orchard stealing' apples, which excites her
holy horror ; another just remembers that she forgot
to return the clothes-line she borrowed last week, and
regrets it.

Another wonders if poor little Jimmy niight n't
get into the well before she gets back; another is
wondering who did up your linen, saying to herself,
"It's a pity our preacher can't find somebody who
can do up a bosom for him."

Others are praying, and trying to get their "spir-
itual strength renewed," but in spite of their efforts
to " gather in the wanderings of their minds," and to
have their souls watered under the "droppings of tho
sanctuary," their roving thoughts will run to and fro

ARRESTING ATTENTION. 15

in the earth, while you are proclaiming the tidings of
mercy to guilty souls.

They are there to hear the tidings, and waiting to
be arrested and interested. Some, to be sure, care
not for you nor your message, but you have them
within range of your Gospel gun, and ought to
draw a bead on them and fetch them down, as Daniel
Boone did his coon.

Frank Dodge once said in my hearing: "The best
time I can get for maturing a commercial scheme, or
planning a sea voyage, is at church while the preacher
is preaching. Away from the care and bustle of
business, under the soothing sounds of the Gospel, I
have nothing to disturb my meditations."

Now, my brother, don't suppose that these cases of
inattention I have enumerated are rare cases. I have
only given you a glimpse at the mental workings, or
rather wanderings of evety congregation you address,
and of every congregation that assembles any where,
till their attention is arrested. Not all indulging
in "vain thoughts," to be sure, for many are think-
ing of God, and in "his law do they meditate day
and night." All occupied with their own favorite
themes and thoughts, but none closely following
the train of your thoughts, till you take them captive
and draw them after you by the power of truth
and sympathy.

You have no right to complain of their inattention,
and it will do no good to scold them about it. It
is your business to arrest them, knock their thouglits

Ig THE MODEL T R E A C II E R .

and reveries into pi, and sweeping them away, in-
sert your theme in tlicir minds and hearts. To do
this, you must wake them up, stir the sympathies
of their souls, and thrill them, by all sorts of
unanticipated means, with the joyful tidings of sov-
ereign mercy, or the thundering peals of coming
retribution.

Do you imagine, my brother, that any common-
place performance will effect all this? Just try
your hand and see. Select a good text — give to
your audience, by way of introduction, a brief his-
tory of the author, and the circumstances under
which he wrote it. Then tell them how you are
going to treat the subject. Announce your divi-
sions in advance, I, II, III, and TV, State your
subdivisions and propositions, and argue them out
by a process of abstract reasoning ; prove your po-
sitions by judicious selections from the Scriptures,
" as saith the prophet," or as " the apostle says."
Let the people see that you are not a mere talker,
but a first-class sermonizer. You will thus com-
mand their respect and confidence as a theologian.
An occasional quotation from " Young's Night
Thoughts," or " Pollok's Course of Time," will add
interest and beauty to your sermon. Do n't waste
the precious time necessary to bring out the logical
deductions of your propositions in telling anecdotes.
That would lower your ministerial dignity. Do n't
descend to personalities in your delineations of char-
acter, for some of your hearers will think you

ARRESTING ATTENTION. ' 17

designed it for them, and mil take offense. When
through with your general divisions, and their ap-
propriate subdivisions, then give a brief synopsis
of the whole, and close with three or four addi-
tional divisions, by way of application.

Peep into the pulpit encyclopedias of this en-
lightened age, and see if the model I have given
you an't according to Gunter. Follow it as closely
as possible, and I'll warrant your congregation a
good time for an undisturbed reverie, or any men-
tal speculation into which their desires and habits
may lead them; or a nap of sleep, according to
their taste, till arrested by the joyful sound of
"receive the benediction," and then they'll feel as
did my little Charlie on one occasion. I was lead-
ing my little boy through the wild-wood, one bright
spring morning, and said to him, "Charlie, wouldn't
you like to kneel down with pa in this pretty grove,
and pray?"

"Yes, sir! Hero's a good place, pa."

When I got through with my devotions, I said
to him, " Charlie, have you prayed any ?"

" No, sir ; but I kneeled down all the time."

"l)on't you want to pray?"

" Yes, sir ; won't you tell me how to pray, pa ?"

"Yes, my dear boy, the Lord is listening, and
I'll tell you what to say to him."

The little fellovr then repeated after me a prayer,

adapted to his years, with great seriousness, till

we came to that solemn word, Amen, which he nro-
2

;18 THE MODEL PEEACHER.

iiounced as tiie first of a list of about ten other
words in a single breath ; in the mean time spring-
ing to his feet, and running a rod after his dog:
''Amen, there's my hat? here Trip, here Trip,
here Trip," and away he ran, in a chase after his
little dog.

Before you have reached the closing amen of
your benediction, half the men in the house have
seized their hats, and stand ready for a move in
double quick time toward the roast turkey, or other
welcome sights aAvaiting them in the wide world
without. As they press their way along the side-
walk, you may overhear the question, " Well, broth-
er, how did you like the sermon to-day?" " 0,
very well. It was a good, sound, doctrinal sermon.
Brother Taylor is a good preacher." "Yes, an ex-
cellent sermonizer."

I have tried in a variety of ways fully to know
the difficult, but important task of arresting atten-
tion.

I remember once, w^hen collecting money for the
erection of a church, I called on a gentleman, and
to arrest his attention to the important object of
my call, I took him by the arm, sayir;^; '' See hero,
my dear friend, I am engaged in building a church
in the southern part of the city. There is no church
in all that region ; and you are fully aware, doubt-
less, of the importance of having one there. You
are largely interested in real estate in that part of
the city, I learn, and you are no doubt as anx-

ARRESTING ATTENTION. 19

ions as any one to liavo the right class of per-
sons to settle there and build up good society, which
you know is out of the question without the at-
traction of a good church. I think it would be a
good investment for you to give to my cause five
hundred dollars." The man looked at me with such
apparent earnestness that I said to myself, "Ah, I've
got him ; he '11 give me a couple of .hundred any how."
But, when I closed my speech, he said, " What is it you
want the money for, sir?" My speech had gone for
nothing. The man was away from home ; I had
failed to wake him up. He had simply got an im-
pression, by some means, that I wanted to bore him
for money.

This absent-mindedness, or preoccupancy of the
mind, to which all are subject, often leads to an entire
misapprehension of what you say in the pulpit and
out of it. And hence the misstatement of facts which
often occurs.

In crossing the Bay of San Francisco, on one occa-
sion, I saw an old lady with a very sad countenance.
Her sorrowful appearance excited my sympathy,
and led me to say to myself, " Poor old lady ! I
wonder if her name is written in the Book of life."
"Dear old mother, she'll soon be in her grave,
and I 'm afraid she is not ready." I took a
Beat by her side, and after a few kind inquiries
about her health and well-being, drew her out into
a free and familiar conversation. She told me
the sad tale of her sorrows. Said she, " I bought

20 THE MODEL PHEACIIER.

a ranch ovei- the Bnj, raid paid my money for it, and
have spent a great deal of money in improving it, and
thought I had a good quiet home where I might spend
my days in peace. But I learn that the Peralto title
has been confirmed. My title is not the Peralto title,
and I 'm afraid I shall lose my place, and all the monc}''
I have spent on it, and I do n't know what I shall do."

I sympathized with her most sincerely, and tried
to comfort with the hope that if her title was found
invalid, that having bought in good faith, I thought
she could at least compromise with Peralto, so as to
get pay for her improvements.

I then tried to direct her attention to the more
important interests of her soul, saying, ''Mother, it is
very hard that you should lose your ranch, but it is
your privilege to obtain a sure title to a much better
place, an inheritance in heaven. I hope you will sec
well to that."

"I thought I did see well to it," she replied; ''I
had the title examined by a lawyer v/ho I thought
ought to know all about it. It seemed to be a sure
title, and I paid my money for it ; but now it seems
to be good for nothing, and my money is gone."

I saw at once that I had overshot the mark — had
missed her entirely. After a little talk further about
the ranch, I tried again to arrest her soul, which 1
found was not only " cleaving to the dust," as says
the Psalmist, but buried up in a California ranch,
expecting to be dug out by a hated old Spaniard who
held the adverse title.

ARRESTING ATTENTION. 21

"Mother," said I, "it will grieve me mucL to hear
of your losing your place, but jou are now far ad-
vanced in life. Your gray hairs and trembling limbs
indicate to me that you are near the grave. You have
but a few years at most to live on your place, if you
succeed in holding it; and then, if you have no title
to a home in heaven, what will you do ? It is bad
enough to lose your money, but it will be ten thou-
sand fold worse to lose your soul. I hope now, my
dear mother, that you will seek Jesus, and obtain the
remission of your sins, and a sure title to heaven — a
warrantee deed to an inheritance incorruptible, unde-
filed, and that fadeth not away."

She looked very serious, and seemed to be ponder-
ing the weighty considerations I had pressed upon
her attention, when, after a moment's pause, she
replied, "Well, I do n't know about it. I've heard of
those warrantee deeds, but I do n't believe they are
good for any thing in California. I believe the Span-
ish grants just about cover the whole country, all at
least that is worth any thing." Failed again. There
was such an attraction of gravitation chaining her
soul, that I could not arrest her attention with any
thing higher than a ranch.

I have often met with similar cases — persons w^hose
minds were so enervated and corroded by some mis-
fortune, real or imaginary, that I could not approach
them from any point, or with any subject, with-
out seeming to wake up all the melancholy ghost?
which had haunted them during the storm of theii

22 THE MODEL PREACHER.

misfortunes ; and yet tlicj Avcrc sensible, and hos-
pitable, and able to attend to all the ordinary duties
of life.

A good Christian brother in Evansville, Indiana,
told me the other day, that while engaged in the lum-
ber business in Louisville, Kentucky, a few years
ago, his business at one time became a little tangled
and complicated ; and, on Sabbath morning, when he
w^as trying to commune with God, his mind was so
filled with rafts of logs and lumber, that he left homo,
and went across to New Albany, to spend the Sab-
bath, just to try to get his mind loose from the ha-
rassing cares and incumbrances that crov/ded and
fettered his soul. Said he, "My rafts and lumber
yard and account books followed me across the Ohio,
and through the streets of New Albany, and into the
house of the Lord ; and I could not cut myself loose
from them till the preacher, a messenger from God to
my soul, arrested my attention, and broke the spell.
The Lord abundantly blessed my soul that day, and
I returned home rejoicing."

0 how many struggles with worldly thoughts and
associations I have had, and have often longed for the
preacher to help me wake my soul, and bring it up by
the grace of Jesus to a higher and holier atmosphere!
Mere abstract reasoning, however sound and logical,
won't do it. A commonplace statementary sermon,
however orthodox, won't raise a ripple, much less stir
the hidden depths of the soul.

Some months ago, traveling in a stage-coach to a

ARRESTING ATTENTION. 23

session of the Erie conference in Mcadville, Peiin., we
stopped about day-dawn and took a ladj passenger
aboard. She had a child in her arms, and was accom-
panied by a little girl. As she entered the coach 1
heard her say in a complaining tone, "I don't like
this way of jumping up before day^ and starting off
without my breakfast." I saw that her spirit was
troubled, and thought I would try to compose and
cheer her, if opportunity offered for an acquaint-
ance, for she was a very nice-looking lady. Soon as
she got seated, and the stage started off, she said to
the little girl, "There now, Gertrude, we forgot the
baby's vail. Poor little thing, it will take its death
of cold.

" I must have these curtains down."

"If you please, madam," I remarked, "I will but-
ton them down for you."

" Thank you, sir."

" This is quite a cold morning for July," said I.

"Yes, sir, quite cold; I fear my poor babe will be
sick from going out so early.

"Gertrude, did you bring the baby's cordial?"

" Yes, ma'am."

"Rough traveling over these hills, madam," said I.

" Yes, sir, pretty rough."

"Look out there, Gertrude, you'll let that phial
fall, and spill that medicine."

"HoAv far is it, madam, to Meadville?" I inquired;
not that I cared, but I wanted to get her attention
from her corrodina; cares.

24 THE MODEL rREACHEH.-

" I believe they call it eleven miles," she replied.

"There now, Gertrude, we forgot that oil and the
brushes. Why did n't you think of that ?"

" Well, I forgot," said Gerty.

"That's a very nice little baby, ma'am, I said."
"He has his mother's eyes, hasn't he?"

She smiled, as she remarked, "It is a very good
baby;" and thought I, "By that hook I can fetch
her mind up from the gloomy channels in which it
has been flowing this morning." But I failed on that
as I had done before.

" Gerty," said she, " did you find the key of the
cellar door yesterday evening?"

"Yes, ma'am."

" Did you lock the door?"

"Yes, ma'am."

"Have you had a visitation of the prevailing revi-
val spirit of the times in this region, this season ?"

"Yes, sir," she replied, " a great many have joined
Church during the past winter."

" There now, Gertrude, upon my word, wo forgot
to return Mrs. Johnson's irons. What will that wo-
man think of us? We promised to return her irons
yesterday, and now we have come oft, and left them
locked up in the house. I wish you had thought of
that ; you knew I had so much on my mind I couldn't
think of every thing.

"Driver, when does the stage return?"

"It leaves Meadville this evening at six o'clock,
ma'am." "Well, I must write a letter, and send it

ARRESTING ATTENTION. 25

down this evening, and have Mrs. Johnson's irons
sent home."

I thought to myself, '- Martha, Martha, thou art
careful about many things." Just so with nearly all
who come to hear me preach. They treat me respect-
fully, hear my words ; but how shall I so arrest them
as to bring up their thoughts and feelings from the
low channels of worldly association, in which they
flow as naturally, and almost as irresistibly downward,
as do the mountain rills that sparkle, and ripple, and
leap in their onward course toward the vales beneath?
While I was stud3ung some plan to arrest the atten-
tion of the good sister by my side, my eye caught
a view of a celebrated animal by the road-side.

" Did you ever see a polecat, madam — a skunk ?
look there !" She instantly put her head out, where
she could get a good view of the " Americana Me-
phitic." A boy was in pursuit with a stone in his
hand, to " engage in a very unequal contest with his
skunkship." My lady passenger laughed immoder-
ately, and I heard no more of her regrets or com-
plaining. From that on to the end of our journey,
she was one of the most pleasant, cheerful ladies I had
met in a month. " Well," thought I, " it would not do
to introduce such animals as that into the pulpit, but
we must have something that will surprise and wake
up the people, or fail to arrest their attention."

3

2d THE MODEL PRE AC HER

LETTER II.

SURPRISES.

My Dear Brother, — Settle it in your mind that
you Avill arrest the attention of 3^our hearers. It is
hardly possible to do that to a degree necessary to
good effect, -svithout exciting feeling — waking up the
emotions of the soul. Commonplace statements, as
I have shown, and modes which chime in with the an-
ticipations of your hearers, however excellent in
themselves, will not stir the heart's emotions. It is
not my purpose to give you a formal essay on rhet-
oric or elocution, nor to speak here of all the various
appliances of power which the orator may use in
moving the masses. But, I wish, in this letter, to
illustrate what may be termed the lever power of the
orator — the power of sudden surprises. Many of my
illustrations in this case are not such as I use in the
pulpit, by any means, but such as I think, in familiar
correspondence, will best illustrate my subject; and
when you thus become well acquainted with the prin-
ciple, you can apply it as occasion may require.

A sudden surprise will alwa^^s excite feeling — emo-
tion pleasant or sorrowful, varying in degree and kind
according to the nature of the surprise itself. The
sudden flutter of a bird, tlic bound of the hare, the
cracking of a falling limb in the grove, the scream of

SURPRISES. 27

a child in the wild-wood ; any thing, however insignif-
icant in itself, producing a sudden surprise, must, in
the same deo-ree, excite feelino; and arrest attention.

The surprise power of sudden transitions of thought
from the point anticipated by the hearer, to another
point remote but apposite, is a lever by which the
masses are often moved.

On one occasion, when the question of granting
transfers to missionaries, who had left, or should
leave, their work in California, w^as being discussed
before the conference, a brother, in an animated
speech, having spoken of the distance we had come
to save souls on the shores of the Pacific, and the pri-
vations and difficulties to be endured, said: "We did
not come to California, my brethren, to
' Lie on flowery beds of ease,'
and eat cJiickens." We were all expecting him, in
his high declamatory style, to quote the rest of the
verse :

" While others fought to win the prize,
And sailed through bloody seas."

But the sudden transition — dropping down from the
grand conception of fields of carnage and seas of
blood, to the chicken-eating propensities with which
ministers are often charged, produced a surprise that
upset the gravity of the v/hole conference, and carried
the bishop with all the rest.

I mention this, not for any intrinsic value contained
in the thing itself, but simply to illustrate my point.
A lucifer match is a very little thing, but it contains

28 THE MODEL PllEACHER.

the po^^-er ^vliicli, if applied to the magazine, -will
blow up the ship.

Tivpper illustrates the wonderful effects resulting,
sometimes, from very insignificant occasions, thus :

•'A child touched a spring ;
The spring closed a valve ;
The laboring engine burst.
A thousand lives were in that ship,
Wrecked by an infant's finger."

Aboard the steamship George Law — afterward
called the Central America, in the wreck of which
so many lives were lost — in which I came from As-
pinwall to New York on my return from California,
was a lady passenger, who had for a traveling com-
panion a small grayhound.

The dog occupied a place in her state-room, and
was her almost constant attendant, in doors and out.

One day I saw one of the waiters leading the dog
in from the deck to his state-room. Opening the
state-room door, the dog seeming anxious to go in, he
let him go. The dog made a sudden bound to his
state-room door, but, by design, alighted just past the
door on the outside, and ran for the deck as fast as
he could go. Now, there is nothing remarkable in
this, except the dodge of the dog, which produced a sud-
den surprise that tapped the fountains of emotion ii\
the bosom of every witness, causing a roar of laughter.

John Philpot Curran, a celebrated Irish advocate,
used to plead before a certain judge, who was con-
sto.ntly in the habit of anticipating the point which

SURPRISES. 29

the advocate was making, and of cutting off the
speech by announcing the point before the speaker
could reach it. Carran became so annoyed with it,
that he determined to retaliate on his lordship. So,
one day, on a festal occasion, at which the judge and
Curran were both invited guests, the latter was late,
and the company, after waiting awhile for him, sat
down to dinner without him. Curran soon after made
his appearance, panting as though he w^as almost out
of breath.

" Mr. Curran," cried the judge, " what upon earth
is the matter with you?"

"Please your lordship," answered C, "I've just
witnessed a tragedy that thrills me with horror."

"Pray tell us, what is it? what is it?"

"Well, your lordship," said Curran, "as I was
passing the shambles, a few minutes ago, I saw the
butcher come ou^ with a long knife in his hand, and
he seized a calf, and just as he drew his knife to stick
it his little child ran along" — "And he stuck the
child," cried the judge. "No, your lordship," an-
swered Curran, "you are always anticipating the
point, but you do n't always hit it. It was the calf
he stuck, sir." The house was brought down at the
judge's expense.

A lady residing in Stamford, Connecticut, took sev-
eral letters out of the post-office, on one occasion.
The first one she broke was from her dear husband in
California, in which he gave her a graphic description
of rustic life in the mines, which so entertained her

30 THE MODEL PREACHER.

that slic ranliomc and read it to mother and the fam-
ily, before she thought of opening the others. After
they had all enjoyed a hearty laugh over the Califor-
nia letter, she opened another, which contained an
announcement to this effect : " Two nights ago your
husband went out of the cabin. A few minutes after
his companions were startled with the report of a
pistol, and running out to see what Avas the matter,
found your husband in the bushes near by shot dead."
The surprise was so sudden and so awful, that the
whole family fell as instantly as if they had been
shot. The poor widow came very near dying from
the effects of the shock.

A young widow, the daughter of a wealthy planter,
was returning on a large Mississippi steamboat to her
father's house. Her nurse was one evening standing
at the stern of the boat, holding in her arms a bright-
eyed baby girl, the only remaining relic of the young
widow's late happy home. By a sudden jump the
child sprang out of the nurse's arms into the terrible
current that sweeps toward the falls, " and imme-
diately disappeared." The shrieking of the mother
arrested the attention of a gentleman, who, with a
large New Foundland dog lying by his side, Avas read-
ing his paper. Running abaft, and hearing the ago-
nizing cry, "0 my child! my child!" he anticipated
the difficulty, and called for an apron of the child, and
causing his dog to smell it, and pointing in the direc-
tion of the drowning child, commanded him to jump
in and fetch it up. The dog sprang into the rushing

SUIIPHISES. 31

waters, and soon disappeared. A boat was imme-
diately sent on the search. It hardly got under way
before the dos; was seen risin^^; and struo-o-linor far
dovv^n the river with something in his mouth. His
strength was failing fast, but soon the pursuing sailors
shouted, " He 's got it ! He 's got the child ! It's alive !
It's still alive!"

The sturdy tars soon got the dog and his precious
freight into the boat, and brought them aboard.
Snatching the child, and assuring herself that it waa
really alive, the young mother rushed forward, and
sinking beside the dog, threw her arms about his neck,
and shed over him a flood of grateful tears.

Caressing his shaggy head, she looked up to his
owner and said, " 0 sir, I must have this dog ! I am
rich; take all I have — every thing, but give me the
deliverer of my child from death !"

^'I am very glad, madam," replied the gentleman,
"that he has been of service to you, but nothing in
the world could induce me to part with him."

In this simple story, which was published in the
Christian Advocate and Journal somo months ncao,
we have two surprises — one overwhelmingly horrible,
and ihe other transportingly joyous, which swept
every chord of that young mother's soul, and pro-
duced a corresponding effect on all the witnesses of
the scene, to the exact extent of their sympathy with
her ; and will reproduce tlie same feelings in the hearts
of all who road of the scene, in the precise degree
that they enter into sympathy with the subjects of it.

r

32 THE MODEL PREACHER.

Genuine wit is a species of this surprise power.
Witty men soon learn the secret of their power, and
are very apt to rely on that, to the neglect of more
solid and useful studies.

It Avas said of a medical student in Philadelphia,
that he was a great vrit, and, though a poor student,
was ahvays ready with an answer. One day, when a
professor came into the lecture-room' to address the
students, he good-humoredly propounded to Dr. Wit
this question:

"Doctor, suppose a man was blown up in a steam-
boat explosion; what is the first thing you would do
in such a case, sir?"

All eyes and cars were open to catch his reply,
when he promptly said, "Well, Doctor, the first thing
I Avould do in such a case as that, sir, would be to wait
till the man would come dozoii/'

Such a man would pass pretty currenth^ whether
he ever gave a scientific answer or not, and hence did
not feel the same stimulus prompting him to dig for
the truth wdiich w^ould ever prompt a man less ready..
The devil and bad men have made such a monopoly
of this surprise power, that its abuses constitute a
large proportion of its history, and yet its abuse is
not a valid argument against its use for purposes of
good.

This surprise power is based on an essential law of
humanity. Consult simple, undisguised human nature
on this subject.

Begin, for example, Avith the children. You try in

SURPRISES. 33

vain to arrest and please them, unless you furnish
them something that has snap, and surprise power
m it. All their little plays and amusements, from
the " peep bo," up to the sky-rocket, go to illustrate
this fact. Go into the street on the night of our
glorious independence day, and ^^ou'Il see a boy en-
tertaining a score of little boys and girls with a Roman
candle. Round and round he whirls it, sending forth
a shower of sparks and blue blazes. All look on
with interest, but there is no burst of feelino-, till
2:)op goes the charge from the candle like a pistol shot,
then they all shout. In a moment all are quiet again,
looking at the sparks, w^aitiug till pop goes another
charge, and then all shout in joyous surprise. Of
what interest would the Roman candle be to them if it
had no sparks ? and they would fail to hold attention
but for the pop. John Chinaman seems to understand
this law of humanity, and hence tries to meet its de-
mands in America, by sending us ship-loads of fire-
crackers to do our popping for us. Some may con-
sider this but a childish whim that ou£:ht not to be
indulged, but I take it as an indication of an essential
law of our being, which should be properly guarded
and restrained, and judiciously applied to the great
purposes for which it was designed. It is no childish
whim, for the old folks are as fond of pops as the
children, but they must be of heavier caliber adapted
to mature years. AYe are so constituted, physically,
intellectually, and spiritually, as to demand variety,
with all its appropriate transitions.

There is no more utility in trying to ignore this

84 THE MODEL PREACHER.

law, than of trying to ignore the Laws of nutrition
and giowth.

I am not speaking of the law of carnal enmity,
of which St. Paul speaks, when he says, " I find
then a law that when I would do good, evil is pres-
ent with me. Fori delight in the law of God after
the inward man ; but I see another law in my mem-
bers, warring against the law of my mind, and
bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which
is in my members." All sinners have experience
in the practical workiugs of that law, but I am
speaking of an essential law of the mental consti-
tution. Some men affect to despise it, and are un-
willing to avail themselves of its power.

A minister of the Gospel once kindly remonstrated
against my efforts to simplify my preaching, adapt-
ing it to the capacity of even the most illiterate,
in words they could understand, without waiting to
go home to examine their dictionaries, and by sim-
ple illustrations of truth that vrould wake up their
feelings.

"Brother T.," said he, "you should cultivate a
pure classical style, maintain your dignity as a min-
ister, and educate the people to think, and bring
them up to your standard." I knew but little about
it at that time, but even then perceived that, while
his advice, in a qualified sense, was good, tlie dry,
abstract style ^vhich he recommended and prac-
ticed, failed utterly to take hold of the people. I
concluded that the literary education of the people

SURPHISES. 35

belonged to the schools, rather than the pulpit, and
as my message to them was very important, and
as the "king's business demanded haste," I had
better not wait till all could study the hard words
in the dictionary, but by some means find an ave-
nue at once to their heads and hearts, and let them
know all about it. It is folly for a man to say,
"I'll bring that river up over the top of this hill,
or I '11 keep trying till the day of my death."
Would it not be better for him to consult the law
of gravitation, use his water-level, and gently con-
duct the river round the hill to the point where he
wants it?

You may just as well wage war against the law
of gravitation, as against essential laws of the men-
tal constitution. When you find those laws abused
and misapplied, do n't try to ignore them, but try
to correct the abuse, and turn them into the right
channel.

Allow me again, my dear brother, to repeat, that
there is an essential law of humanity^ implanted
within by Him who made us, which imperiously de-
mands variety, with all the sudden transitions and
contrasts which characterize the kinsidoms of na-

o

ture, providence, and grace.

Do you ask me to define that law, or tell you
what it is? I can not undertake to do that. We
simply know that such a law exists, by the uniform-
ity and constancy of its demands in human expe-
rience. I think it originates in the soul's immor-

36 THE MODEL PREACHER.

talitj, and its instinctive longings for fountains, and
food, and ^valks, and flights, and rapturous joys,
which are no vrhore to he found in tliis world. The
soul in its tenement of clay, is like the unfledged
eagle brought up within the narrow limits of hia
cage. He has never had any liberty outside its
walls. He knows but little of the great world around
and above him, and yet he do n't feel at home in
so small a sphere. He walks round in his cage,
from side to side, seekins; somethins; to entertain
him. He spreads his wings, and feels that it is a
good thing to have wings, though he has never yet
learned their use ; but somehow they excite in hira
a desire to soar, he knovrs not wherefore, nor whith-
er, for he has never had an opportunity of trying
them by a single flight. He is restless, and wants
to go somCAvhcre, or do something that will break
the dull monotony of prison life. His cage is often
moved from place to place, but still he is in it, and
can't know much beyond it. He gazes at the sun
and thinks it a pretty thing to look at, but knows
not that it is a beacon fire to guide his upward flight
to regions far above this world of trouble, where
he may bathe his plum.age in its bright effulgence;
mean time, ho seeks pleasure in all the little surpri-
ses and excitements of e very-day life, instinctively
iK'ping all the time that some of them will break
to him the problem of his own life, and bring in
his long-sought joys.

The human soul is endowed with wonderful powers

SURPRISES. 37

of intellect and heart, and possesses a capacity for
development '«vhich is as unlimited in its elFectiveness
as the eternity of its duration. The glorified soul, in
its progressive development, will doubtless rise to
degrees of intelligence, moral strength, and glory,
which transcend all our anticipations. The eagle's
ken surveys the sun, but his weary wings can only
sweep the near shore of the vast ethereal sea which
intervenes. " Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard,
neither hath it entered into the heart of man the
things which God hath prepared for them who love
him;" but high, and grand, and glorious as those
things may be, the children of God shall not only see
them afar off, as my noble bird does the sun, but they
shall penetrate their depths, scan their hights, and re-
alize their rich fruition, for God hath already revealed
the earnest of " these things unto us b}^ his Spirit."
I desire no better proof and illustration of the im-
measurable capacity, value, and future dignity of the
human soul, than the incarnation of the Son of God.
Could God have consented to a union with a nature
incapable of honorable affinity, association, and dig-
nified identity with himself? If man had been so
groveling in his nature, except when chained down by
sin, and so limited in his capacity as to make his
union with Divinity, in the person of Jesus Christ,
disgraceful to the Godhead, would the angels and all
the family in heaven have consented to such a mar-
riage union ? What would they have said when the
bans were published in his holy temple? Would not

38 THE MODEL PREACHER.

tlie last one of them have united "svith all the rest, in a
protest against the marriage, and shown cause why.
for the honor of the whole family in heaven, it should
not take place?

The orang-outang is said, by naturalists, to be the
next animal in the chain of being below man, only one
link below us ; and yet, if it were possible, and a man
should, in the possibility of the case, enter into a
matrimonial alliance with an orang-outang, dear me,
humanity would be shocked, and such a man, as says
Job, " would be chased out of the world " — kicked
out of creation. And yet, incomprehensibly great as
is the disparity between God and man, such is the
dignity and improvability of man's mature, that God
enters into a union with it, more intimate and in-
dissoluble than any matrimonial alliance can be.
"God was manifest in the flesh," took a brother
body of mine, and a brother soul of mine, into an
inseparable union with the Godhead. When the
bans of this union w^re proclaimed in heaven there
were no objections.

When the God-man appeared, the everlasting
Father said, " Let all the angels of God worship
him. And of the angels he saith, Who maketh his
angels spirits, and his ministers a flame of fire."
The angels not only fall, with glad consent, in humble
adoration at his feet, but so exult in the privilege of
being workers together with him in his mission of
mercy, that at their appointment to the office of
" ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for them

SURPRISES. 39

who shall be heirs of salvation," their rapturous zeal
is compared by Him who saw it to " flaming fire."
When that flaming angel, who had the honor of being
the express messenger to announce to a sinking world
the coming of its great deliverer, received his orders,
he descended with lightning speed, proclaiming, " Be-
hold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which
shall be to all people; for unto you is born this
day, in the city of David, a Savior, which is Christ
the Lord." " And suddenly there was with him a
multitude of the heavenly host, praising God, and
saying. Glory to God in the highest, and on earth
peace, good-will toward men."

After Jesus had " borne our griefs and carried our
sorrows," for " he was v/ounded for our transgres-
sions, bruised for our iniquities," and bore in his own
body the dreadful chastisement necessary to procure
our peace, we see him, in the person of his risen
body, on the Mount of Olives, conversing with his
apostles. The last words of a departing friend are
very impressive. The last words of Jesus, before his
ascension, fell from his lips on that occasion. What
blessed words they are ! " They asked him, saying,
Lord, wilt thou at this time restore agajn the king-
dom of Israel ? And he said unto them, It is not for
you to know the times or the seasons which the
Father hath put in his own power." There is a limit
to human knowledge — my brother, there are many
things that we are not to know in this world; but
the most important thing for us to know is here

40 THE MODEL PREACHER.

pledged : " But ye shall receive power after that the
llolv Ghost is come upon you : and ye shall be wit-
nesses unto me both in Jerusalem and in all Judea,
and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost parts of the
earth."

And when he had spoken these things, while they
beheld, he was taken up ; and a cloud received him
out of their sight. He had drank the contents of
the bitter cup. The struggle was passed. That
human body and soul, our brother, indissolubly united
with, and sustained by the Divinity, had stood the
fiery ordeal, and had become " perfect through suffer-
ings," and was now ready for a triumphal march into
the eternal city. Our brother ascended to the scene
of his grand coronation, on the mediatorial throne.
He will there "prepare a place for us;" and says he,
" If I^repare a place for you, I v*'ill come again and
receive you unto myself, that where I am there ye
may be also." The apostles saw him go up : "And
while they looked steadfastly toward heaven as he
went up, behold two m.en stood by them in white ap-
parel ; which also said. Ye men of Galilee, why
stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus,
which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come
in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven."

St. John says, "Beloved, now arc we the sons of
God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be,
but we know that when he shall appear, we shall be
like him ; for we shall see him as he is." I have in-
troduced these facts illustrating the dignity of human

SURPRISES. 41

souls redeemed, simply to convey to your mind, my
brother, a clearer idea of their wonderful powers and
capabilities.

These souls, in the language of Eliphaz the Ti-
manite, " dwell in houses of clay, whose foundation is
in the dust, which are crushed before the moth."
Like the caged eagle we have always been in our
clay houses, and know not the extent of our own
capacity nor the hights to which we may soar, when
our earthly house, or tabernacle, shall have been dis-
solved, and our redeemed spirits uncaged shall wing
their mystic flight to a '' building of God," not a
mere tent, " a house not made with hands, eternal in
the heavens." We live in a beautiful world, and our
earthly houses are admirably adapted to our pilgrim-
age life, and there is much to entertain us by the way ;
but after all, there is a quenchless longing of the soul
for something beyond its imprisoned grasp. Souls
enlightened by the Spirit, and united to God by faith
in Jesus, know what their soul-satisfying portion is,
and receive a foretaste of it, which thrills them with
"joy unspeakable and full of glory," and leads them
to sing,

** 0 would he move of heaven bestow.

And let the vessels break, ,

And let our ransomed spirits go,
To grasp the God we seek I"

"For," as says St. Paul, "in this tabernacle we do
groan, being burdened; earnestly desiring to be
clothed upon with our house which is in heaven."

42 THE MODEL PREACHER.

I have often heard then- songs of triumph, my broth-
er, as they were breaking through their prison walls
and preparing for their upward flight.

I saw the eagle's cage knocked over and broken.
The frightened bird sprang out of the wreck, and
spread his untried wings, and up he went. A circling
sweep or two lifted him high above the hills, then up-
ward darting beyond the region of storms, he soon
passed the boundaries of earthly ^asion. There lay
the broken cage in which he had tried for many years
to find entertainment and happiness, but now the
noble bird had flown.

Those who know not God are an inexplicable mys-
tery to them.selves — know not what their v.'ings are
for, but they want to fly, or do something that will
satisfy the instinctive yearnings of their souls.
Hence, their heaven-given powers are employed in all
sorts of worldly schemes which promise them present
or ultimate happiness. Some seek it in military
glory; some in trying to hoard up the treasures of
earth ; others in Avorldly pomp and display ; others
still in the honor or profit of new discoveries in sci-
ence or mechanics; a large majority try to fill the
aching void within with the pleasures of to-day, on
the epicurean motto, "Eat, drink, and be merry."
All see the raiabov/, occasionally, and believe the bag
of gold may be found at the end of it, and all run to
get it, but all are disappointed, for the simple reason
that it is not there.

This universal pursuit of happiness is the stimulus,

SURPRISES. 43

which, like a mighty engine, keeps all animate crea-
tion in motion ; and though our souls are caged up
and incumbered by numberless disabilities, how won-
derful are the achievements of the human mind in
this world, furnishing grand illustrations of its mighty
powers! Whether we know God and enjoy his par-
doning mercy, or not, this mighty giant in chains —
the soul — is always ready to start at a surprise rap at
the door, and runs to receive a new hope or fear, or
something that will afford variety, and break the mo-
notony of prison-life.

If we look into God's books of nature. Providence,
or inspired word, we find that he has ever recognized
this law of our being, and adapted himself to its de-
mands for variety, with all possible startling surprises
of sudden transitions and contrasts.

44 THE MODEL PREACHER.

LETTER III.

SURPRISE POWER — CONTINUED.

My Dear Brother, — Look into God's book of na-
ture and see what surprise power breaks forth from
every page.

In smoothing down the earth's surface, he did not
make it all one grand, level prairie. What an aston-
ishing variety of hill, dale, and mountain it presents!

In planting a forest, the Lord does not set out a
field of oaks in straight lines, another of hickory, and
another of walnut trees. He scatters them broadcast
in endless variety of size, shape, kind, and position.
How the traveler is surprised and entertained by the
variety of landscape scenery, and no less surprised by
the endless variety of sounds which strike his ears,
from the chirp of the cricket up to the roar of the
lion, and from the ripple of the rill to the thunder of
the cataract!

The elements around him, and the heavens above
him, all unite in producing surprises and entertain-
ment for his restless, mighty soul.

In making a river, God did not spring it all up
from one fountain, and convey it in gentle eddies
across a continent through a straight canal. Trace,
if you please, one of God's rivers. In pursuit of the
bounding deer in his mountain home, weary and

SURPRISES. 45

thirsty, you see, breaking from beneath the granite cliff,
a sparkling little fountain. You drink, and lie down
to listen to its rippling music and enjoy sweet rest.

Having refreshed yourself, you start, with joyous
steps, to pursue the baby river. Now delighted with
its meanderings, and its sudden bounds and falls ;
now another kindred stream comes leaping down the
mountain, and mingling with its sparkling waters, on
they go, with gathering strength, as other rills, rivu-
lets, and creeks, break in from behind the ridges,
where you least expected to see them.

Now the river moves in manhood's strength, but
still keeps up all the startling variety of the baby
fountain; now moving in gentle eddies in a straight
line ; now sweeping a curve ; now dashing into a cat-
aract, roaring and thundering, causing the earth to
tremble under its heavy tread, and spouting up show-
ers of spray, adorning the upper air with rainbow-tints.

Soon again you see it rolling on in quiet beauty
among the meadows, inviting the anglers to its quiet
shore, and the bathers into its cheerful bosom. Some-
times looking ahead you see the end of it. No visi-
ble outlet — completely blockaded by impassable mount-
ains. But suddenly you see that it has leaped its
barriers, perhaps cleft a mountain right in two to do
it, but it 's out and gone, singing in its wild career,

Sink down, ye hills and mountains,
Before my thousand fountains.
In matchless union joined.
We are to the ocean bound.

46 THE MODEL PREACHEH.

The perfection of the paiiiter^s art is found in a
correct copy of the landscape, just as it is in nature,
'with all its variety of hills, dales, rills, rivers, lakes,
and oceans, with all the lights and shades and color-
ing of their native drapery. On the perfection of the
copy from nature, whatever the subject may be, de-
pends the surprise power of the painting, whether on
canvas or on mind by the skill of the orator.

God's book of providence reveals as great, and
even greater varieties than his book of nature. Its
surprise power is greatly increased, from the fact
that we know so little of the laws of providence, and
have so limited an opportunity of anticipating the
sudden surprises that break upon us daily. The book
which contains the most numerous and the most
startling and interesting surprises in the world, is
God's book of revealed truth — the holy Scriptures.

Read the first chapter of Genesis. The narration
of every creative act is a startling surprise, and you
will not find a chapter, from that to the last of Reve-
lation, which does not contain more or less of sur-
prise power abounding in stirring efiect.

I will only select a few passages.

Take, for illustration, the trial of Abraham's faith.
God called him, and he answered, "Behold, here I
am. And he said. Take now thy son, thine onlj son,
Isaac, whom thou lovest, and get thee into the land
of Moriah, and offer him there for a burnt offering
upon one of the mountains which I will tell thee of."
How natural for him to say, '^ Surely, this is contrary

SURPRISES. 47

to the laws of parental obligation; contrary to the
laws of civil society and of justice; contrary to
God's own promise, that my seed should be as the
stars for multitude. What ! kill the only living heir
to the promise? Then, 0, what would his mother
do ? How can I slay my son, my beloved son, mine
only son, Isaac ?"

That was a terrible surprise to the good man, but
he furnished another equally great, in the prompt and
steady action of his unwavering fidelity to God. He
does not tell Sarah. He knows that her feelings
would bring her into collision with his settled purpose
to obey God. He had enough to do to resist the tide
of his own sympathy, without opening the floodgates
of a kindred tide, which would probably sweep him
away from the anchorage ground of his faith.

" And Abraham rose up early in the morning and
saddled his ass, and took two of his young men with
him, and Isaac, his son, and clave the wood for the
burnt offering, and rose up and went unto the place
of which God had told him." Two nights were spent
on the journey. What dreadful nights they must
have been to the man of God ! His confiding son lay
on his bosom! He could hear the throbbiDirs of
his heart. '' And 0, shall this hand — a father's
hand — drive the knife into that heart — my son's heart?
I love my son, but I love God more. I will obey
God, and let him take care of the consequences."
" Then, on the third day, Abraham lifted up his eyes
and saw the place afar off." What an awful-looking

18 THE MODEL PREACHER-

place it was ! but he staggered not. He did not want
to encounter the opposing sympathies of the young
men. "And Abraham said unto his young men,
Abide ye here with the ass, and I and the lad will go
yonder and w^orship and come again to you. And
Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering and laid
it upon Isaac, his son" — Jesus bore his own cross up
that very same mountain — " and he took the fire in his
hand, and a knife, and they went, both of them to-
gether. And Isaac spake unto Abraham, his father,
and said :

" My father ; and he said. Here am I, my son

" And he said. Behold the fire and the wood : but
where is the lamb for a burnt offering?"

What response could his agonized heart give to
that question ?

No time for the discussion of such a question. He
could only refer the whole matter to God. "And
Abraham said. My son, God will provide himself a
lamb for a burnt offering." God did do it, -' and gave
his only-begotten Son." " So they went both of them
together. And they came to the place which God
had told him of: and Abraham built an altar there,
and laid the wood in order " — then came the mortal
tug — " and bound Isaac his son, and laid him on the
altar on the wood. And Abraham stretched forth
his hand, and took the knife to slay his son." The
knife gleams in the sunlight, and in a second will
pierce the heart of Sarah's only son.

Hark! the angel of the covenant — the pealing

SURPRISES. 49

notes of the voice divme, arrest the death-dealing
stroke : " Abraham ! Abraham !" and he dropped his
Band and said, " Here am I."

And he said, " Lay not thine hand upon the lad,
neither do thou any thing unto him : for now I know
that thou fearest (jod, seeing thou hast not withheld
thy son, thine only son, from me. And Abraham
lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, behind him,
a ram caught in a thicket by his horns," the most
interesting-looking ram he ever saw in his life. Did
he not pitch into him with a will ? " And he offered
him up for a burnt- offering in the stead of his son."

There is, in my opinion, more surprise power in
this narrative of a few lines, than you can find in any
modern history or novel of five hundred pages. The
authorship of Moses was as remarkable as his states-
manship. He gives the very language and expres-
.sion of each party represented, and draws the whole
picture to the life.

Take another example from the pen of the same
frriter — the history of Joseph. Read it, and mark
its sudden transitions. To assist you, I will name
and number its leading surprises.

1. The murderous plot of the nine wicked brothers,
when they saw in the distance the weary lad ap-
proaching.

2. The successful intofposition of S-euben in his
behalf.

3. The surprise and anguish of poor Joseph when
cast into the pit.

50 THE MODEL PREACHER.

4. Tlie company of Islimaeliics, and the sale of
Josepli to them.

5. Reuben's disappointment in not finding him in
the pit, -when, with a brother's yearning heart, he
came for his rescue. " And he rent his clothes, and
returned unto his brethren and said, The child is not :
and I, whither shall I go ?"

6. The dreadful tidings, borne by the guilty broth-
ers to the old patriarch, holding up to his view at
the same time the bloody coat of his own dear Jo-
seph, saying, " This have we found ; know now
whether it be thy son's coat or no. And he knew it,
and said. It is my son's coat ; an evil beast hath de-
voured him ; Joseph is without doubt rent in pieces.
And Jacob rent his clothes, and put sackcloth upon
his loins, and mourned for his son many days. And
all his sons and all his daughters rose up to comfort
him ; but he refused to be comforted, and he said,
For I will go down into the grave unto my son
mourning. Thus his father wept for him."

7. Joseph's chastity. Potiphar's wife, with " her
much fair speech, and with the flattering of her lips,
could not cause him to yield."

8. Her ingenious diabolic accusation to her hus-
band.

9. Joseph's imprisonment.

10. His interpretation of the butler's dream — a
sweet surprise to the poor fellow.

11. His interpretation of the baker's dream — a
horrible surprise, rendered doubly horrible by its con-

SURPRISES. 51

trast with tliat of the butler, the pleasmg termiRation
of whose dream had inflated the poor baker's hopes,
which now suddenly set in the darkness of despair.

12. Pharoah's extraordinary dream, and fruitless
efforts to find an interpreter.

13. The wonderful story of the butler to the king
about one of the convicts in jail who could interpret
dreams. He had just thought of him after two years
of ungrateful neglect.

14. Poor Joseph had about given up all hope of re-
lease, when the king's messenger rushed into the
dungeon, saying, "Joseph, the king wants to see thee
in court immediately." He shed off his dirty duds
covered with vermin, washed and shaved himself, and
in raiment nice and clean walked into the palace.
And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, "I have dreamed a
dream, and there is none that can interpret it : and
I have heard say of thee, that thou canst understand
a dream to interpret it." And Joseph answered
Pharaoh, saying, "It is not in me: God shall give
Pharaoh an answer of peace."

15. The interpretation.

16. Plis sudden promotion. "And Pharaoh said
unto his servants, Can we find such a man as this is,
a man in whom the Spirit of God is ? And Pharaoh
said unto Joseph, Forasmuch as God hath shewed thee
all this, there is none so discreet and wise as thou
art. Thou shalt be over my house, and accord-
ing unto thy word shall my people be ruled : only on
the throne will I be greater than thou. And Pharaoh

52 THE MODEL PREACHER.

said unto Joseph, Sec, I have set thee over all the
land of Eizypt. And Pharaoh took off his ring from
his hand, and put it upon Joseph's hand, and ar-
rayed him in vestures of fine linen, and put a gold
chain about his neck; and he made him to ride in the
second chariot v^hich he had, and they cried before
him. Bow the knee : and he made him ruler over all
the land of Egypt. And Pharaoh said unto Joseph,
I am Pharaoh, and without thee shall no man lift up
his hand or foot in all the land of Egypt. And he
gave him to wife Asenath, the daughter of Poti-
pherah, priest of On. And Joseph vrent out over all
the land of Egypt." Was that not a surprising rise
in the world ?

17. The first interview of Jacob's ten famine-
pinched sons with the governor of Egypt. "■ And
Joseph was the governor over the land, and he it was
that sold to all the people of the land ; and Joseph's
brethren came and bowed down themselves before
him with their faces to the earth. And Joseph saw
his brethren, and he knew them, but he made him-
self strange unto them, and spake roughly unto
them ; and he said unto them, Whence come ye ?
And they said. From the land of Canaan, to buy
food. And Joseph knew his brethren, but they
knew not him. And Joseph remembered the dreams
which he dreamed of them " — and what an association
of scenes, precedent and subsequent, crowded into
his mind! — '* and he said unto them. Ye are spies;
to sec the nakedness of the land ye arc corao,

SURPRISES. 53

And they said unto him, Nay, my lord, but to buy
food are thy servants come. Y/e are all one man's
sons : we are true men ; thy servants are no spies.
And he said unto them, Nay, but tQ' see the naked-
ness of the land ye are come. And they said,
Thy servants are tv/elvc brethren, the sons of one
man in the land of Canaan ; and behold, the young-
est is this day with our father, and one is not.
And Joseph said unto them, That is it that I spake
unto you, saying. Ye are spies. Hereby ye shall
be proved. By the life of Pharaoh, ye shall not
go forth hence, except your ^''oungest brother come
hither. Send one of you and let him fetch your
brother, and ye shall be kept in prison, that your
words may be proved, whether there be any truth
in you ; or else, by the life of Pharaoh, ye are spies.
And he put them all together into ward three
days" — gave them a small taste of what he had en-
dured on account of their cruelty for years.

" And Joseph said unto them the third day. This
do, and live, for I fear God. If ye be true men,
let one of your brethren be bound in the house of
your prison ; go ye, carry corn for the fam.ine of
your houses. But bring your youngest brother unto
me, so shall your words be verified, and ye shall
not die. xVnd they did so.

"And they said one to another, "We are verily
guilty concerning our brother, in that we saw the
anguish of his soul, when he besought us and we
would not hear ; therefore is this distress come upon

54 THE MODEL rilEAC HER.

US. And Keuben answered them, saying, Spake I
not unto YOU, saying, Do not sin against the child;
and ye would not hear? therefore, behold, also his
blood is required. And they knew not tliat Joseph
understood them" — had no idea that the governor un-
derstood Hebrew — "for he spake unto them by an
interpreter. And he turned himself about from
them, and wept; and returned to them again, and
communed with them, and took from them Simeon,
and bound him before their eyes. Then Joseph
commenced to fill their sacks mill corn, and to re-
store ever^^ man's money into his sack, and to give
them provision for the way; and thus did he unto
them. And they laded their asses with the corn,
and departed thence.

18. "And as one of them opened his sack, to give
liis ass provender in the inn, he espied his money;
for, behold, it was in his sack's mouth. And he said
unto his brethren. My money is restored ; and lo,
it is even in my sack; and their hearts fiiiled them,
and they were afraid, saying one to another, What is
this that God hath done unto us?" How terrible are
the accusations and forebodings of a guilty con-
science !

19. They reported all these things to Jacob. "And
it came to pass, as they emptied their sacks, that,
behold, every man's bundle of money was in his
sack ; and when both they and their father saw the
money, they were afraid. And Jacob, their father,
said unto them, Me have ye bereaved of my chii-

SURPRISES. 55

dren; Joseph is not, and Simeon is not, and ye will
take Benjamin away. All these things are against
me.

" And Reuben said unto his father, Slay my two
sons, if I bring him not to thee; deliver him into
my hands, and I will bring him to thee again.
And he said, My son shall not go down with you, for
his brother is dead, and he is left alone; if mischief
befall him by the way in which ye go, then shall
ye bring down my gray hairs with sorrow to the
grave.

"And the famine was sore in the land. And it
came to pass, when they had eaten up the corn
which they had brought out of Egypt, their father
said unto them. Go again, buy us a little food. And
Judah spake unto him, saying. The man did solemnly
protest unto us, saying, Ye shall not see my face,
except your brother be with you. If thou wilt send
our brother with us, y;e will go down and buy thee
food. But if thou wilt not send him, we will not
go down ; for the man said unto us. Ye shall not see
my face, except your brother be with you. And
Israel said, Wherefore dealt ye so ill with me, as
to tell the man whether ye had yet a brother ? And
they said, The man asked us straitly of our state,
and of our kindred, saying. Is your father yet alive?
have ye another brother? and we told him according
to the tenor of these words. Could we certainly
know that he would say. Bring your brother down?

" And Judah said unto Israel, his father, Send the

56 THE MODEL PREACHER.

lad with me, and we will arise and go, that we may
live, and not die, both we and thou, and also om*
little ones. - I will be surety for jiim, of my hand
shalt thou require him ; if I brinix him not unto thee
and set him before thee, then let mc bear the blame
forever. For except we had lingered, surely now-
Y,-e had returned this second time. And their father
Israel said unto them. If it must be so novv^, do this ;
take of the best fruits in the land in your vessels,
and carry down the man a present, a little balm,
and a little honey, spices and myrrh, nuts and al-
monds. And take double money in your hand, and
the money that was brought again in your sacks,
carry it again in your hand ; peradvcnture, it was
an oversight. Take also your brother, and arise ;
go again unto the man. And God Almighty give
you mercy before the man, that he may send away
your other brother, and Benjamin. If I be bereaved
of Tcrj children, I am bereaved.

''And the men took that present, and they took
double money in their hands, and Benjamin, and
rose up, and v/ent down to Egypt and stood before
Joseph. And when Joseph saw Benjamin with them,
he said to the ruler of his house. Bring these men
home, and slay, and make ready; for these men
shall dine with me at noon. And the men did as
Joseph bade, and the man brought the men into
Joseph's house.

20. "And the men were afraid, because they were
brought into Joseph's house, and they said, Because

SURPRISES. 57

of the money that Avas returned in our sacks at, the
first tiree^ are "we brought in; that he may seek oc-
casion against us, and fall upon us, and take us for
bondmen, and our asses. And they came near to
the steward of Joseph's house, and they communed
with him at the door of the house" — they wanted
an intercessor between them and the governor —
*'and said, 0, sir, we came indeed down at the first
to buy food, and it came to pass, when we camo
to the inn, that we opened our sacks, and behold,
every man's money was in the mouth of his sack,
our money in full weight, and we have brought it
again in our hand. And other money have w^e
brought down in our hands to buy food; we can not
tell who put our money in our sacks. And he said,
Peace be to you, fear not; your God, and the God
of jour father, hath given you treasure in your
sa;cks; I had your money. And he brought Simeon
out unto them. And the man brought the men into
Joseph's house, and gave them water, and they
v>'ashed their feet ; and he gave their asses proven-
der. And they made ready the present against
Joseph came at noon ; for they heard that they
should eat bread there. And when Joseph, camo
home, they brought him the present Vvdiich was in
their hand into the house, and bowed themselvCsS
to him to the earth. And he asked them of their
welfare, and said. Is your father well, the old man
of whom ye spake? Is he yet alive? And they an-
swered, Thy servant, our father, is in good health:

58 THE MODEL PREACHER.

lie is yet alive. And they bowed down their heads
and made obeisance.

" And he lifted up his eyes, and saw his brother
]>enjamin, his mother's son, and said, Is this your
younger brother, of whom ye spake unto me? And he
said, God be gracious to thee, my son ! And Joseph
made haste; for his bowels did yearn upon his brother:
and he sought where to weep ; and he entered into his
chamber and wept there. And he washed his face.,
and went out, and refrained himself, and said, Set on
bread. And they set on for him by himself, and for
them by themselves, and for the Egyptians, which
did eat with him, by themselves. And they sat be-
fore him, the first-born according to his birthright, and
the youngest according to his youth : and the men
marveled one to another. And he took and sent
messes unto them from before him : but Benjamin's
mess was five times so much as any of theirs. And
they drank and were merry with him. And he com-
manded the steward of his house, saying, Fill the
men's sacks with food, as much as they can carry,
and put every man's money in his sack's mouth.
And put my cup, the silver cup, in the sack's mouth
of the youngest, and his corn money. And he did
according to the word that Joseph had spoken. And
as soon as the morning was light, the men were sent
Away, they and their asses. And when they were
gone out of the city, and not yet far oft', Joseph said
unto his steward. Up, follow after the men: and
when thou doest overtake them, say unto them,

SUEP RISES. 59

"Wherefore have ye re^Yarded evil for good? Is not
this in which my lord drinketh, and whereby indeed
he divineth ? ye have done evil in so doing. And he
overtook them, and spake unto them these same
words.

21. '^And they said unto him, Wherefore saith my
lord these words? God forbid that thy servants should
do according to this thing. Behold, the money which
we found in our sacks' moutlis, we brought an-ain unto
thee out of the land of Canaan : how then should we
steal out of thy lord's house silver or gold ? With
whomsoever of thy servants it may be found, both
let him die, and we also will be my lord's bondmen.
And he said, Now also let it be according unto your
words: he Avith whom it is found shall be my ser-
vant, and ye shall be blameless. Then they speedily
took down every man his sack to the ground, and
opened every man his sack. And he searched, and
began at the eldest, and left at the youngest : and
the cup was found in Benjamin's sack.

22. " Then they rent their clothes, and laded every
man his ass, and returned to the city. And Judah
and his brethren came to Joseph's house ; for he was
yet there : and they fell before him on the ground.
And Joseph said unto them. What deed is this ye
have done ? Wot ye not that such a man as I can
certainly divine ? And Judah said. What shall we say
unto my lord ? whp.t shall we speak ? or how shall we
clear ourselves ? God hath found out the iniquity of
thy servants ; behold, we are my lord's servants, both

60 T IT E M 0 D E L P R E A C n E R .

we, and ho also with whom the cup is found. A.nd he
said, God forbid that I should do so; but the man in
whose hand the cup is found, he shall be my servant ;
and as for you, get you up in peace unto your father.
^' Then Judah came near unto him, and said, 0 my
lord, let thy servant, I pray thee, speak a word in my
lord's ears, and let not thine anger burn against thy
servant : for thou art even as Pharaoh. My lord
asked his servants, saying, Have ye a father, or a
brother? And we said unto my lord. We have a
father, an old man, and a child of his old age, a little
one ; and his brother is dead, and he alone is left of
his mother, and his father loveth him. And thou
saidst unto thy servants. Bring him down unto me,
that I may set mine eyes upon him. And we said
unto my lord. The lad can not leave his father; for
if he should leave his_ father, his father would
die. And thou saidst* unto thy servants. Except
your youngest brother come down with you, ye
shall see my face no more. And it came to pass
when vre came up unto thy servant, my father, we told
him the words of my lord. And our father said. Go
again, and buy us a little food. And we said, AYe
can not go down : if our youngest brother be with us,
then will v<o go down : for we may not see the man's
face, except our youngest brother be with us. And
thy servant, my father, said unto us. Ye know that my
wife bare me two sons : and the one we«t out from
me, and I said. Surely he is torn in pieces ; and I
saw him not since : and if ye take this also from me.

SURPRISES. 61

ind mischief befall him, ye shall bring down my gray
hairs with sorrow to the grave. Eor thy servant be-
;;ame surety for the lad unto my father, saying, If 1
\)ring him not unto thee, then I shall bear the blame
iinto my father forever. Now therefore, I pray thee,
let thy servant abide instead of the lad a bondman to
my lord; and let the lad go up with his brethren.
For how shall I go up to my fiither, and the lad be
not with me ? lost peradvcnture I see the evil that
shall come on my father.

" Then Joseph could not refrain him.self before all
them that stood by him ; and cried, Cause every man
to go out from me. And there stood no man with
him, while Joseph made himself known unto his breth-
ren. And he v^ept aloud; and the Egyptians and the
house of Pharaoh heard.

23. '^And Joseph said unto his brethren, I am Jo-
seph; doth my father yet live? And his brethren
could not answer him ; for they vrere troubled at his
presence. And Joseph said unto his brethren, Come
near to me, I pray you. And they eamo near. And
he said, I am Joseph your brother, whom ye sold into
Egypt. Now therefore, be not grieved, nor angry
with yourselves, that ye- sold me hither, for God did
send me before you to preserve life. For these two
years hath the famine been in the land: and yet there
are five years, in the which there shall neither be ear-
ing nor harvest. And God sent me before you to
preserve you a posterity in the earth, and to save your
lives by a great deliverance. So nov/ it was not you

62 THE MODEL PREACHER.

that sent me hither, but God ; and he hath made me
a father to Pharaoh, and lord of all his house, and a
ruler throughout all the land of Egypt. Haste ye
and go up to my father, and say unto him. Thus
saith thy son Joseph, God hath made me lord of all
!Egypt : come down unto me, tarry not ; and thou
shalt dwell in the land of Goshen, and thou shalt be
near unto me, thou, and thy children, and thy chil-
dren's children, and thy flocks, and thy herds, and
all that thou hast : and there will I nourish thee ;
for yet there are five years of famine ; lest thou, and
thy household, and all that thou hast, come to
poverty. And behold, your eyes see, and the eyes
of my brother Benjamin, that it is my mouth that
speaketh unto you. And ye shall tell my father all
my glory in Egypt, and of all that ye have seen:
and ye shall haste and bring down my father hither.
And he fell upon his brother Benjamin's neck and
wept ; and Benjamin wept upon his neck. Moreover
he kissed all his brethren, and wept upon them: and
after that his brethren talked with him. And the
fame thereof was heard in Pharaoh's house, saying,
Joseph's brethren are come : and it pleased Pharaoh
well, and his servants. And Pharaoh said unto Jo-
seph, Say unto tliy brethren. This do ye; lade your
beasts and go, get you unto the land of Canaan ;
and take your father and your households, and come
unto me : and I will give you the good of the land of
Egypt, and yc shall cat the fat of the land. Now
thou art commanded, this do ye, take your wagons

SURPRISES. 63

out of the land of Egypt for your little ones, and for
your wives, and bring your father and come. Also
regard not your stuff; for the good of all the land of
Egypt is yours. And the children of Israel did so :
and Joseph gave them wagons, according to the com-
mandment of Pharaoh, and gave them provisions for
the way. To all of them he gave each man changes
of raiment ; but to Benjamin he gave three hundred
pieces of silver, and five changes of raiment. And
to his father he sent after this manner: ten asses
laden with the good things of Egypt, and ten she ass-
es laden with corn and bread and meat for his father
by the way. And they went up out of Egypt, and
came into the land of Canaan unto Jacob their father,

24. "And told him, saying, Joseph is yet alive, and
he is governor over all the land of Egypt, And Ja-
cob's heart fainted, for he believed them not. And
they told him all the words of Joseph, which he had
said unto them: and when he saw the wagons which
Joseph had sent to carry him, the spirit of Jacob their
father revived. And Israel said, It is enough ; Jo-
seph my son is yet alive : I will go and see him
before I die. And Israel took his journey with all
that he had, and came to Beersheba," the well of the
oath, where his old grandfather used to offer sacri-
fices and worship God. Israel was very anxious to
see his son, but would not go till he had consulted
the God of his fathers " and offered sacrifices unto
the God of his father Isaac.

"And God spake unto Israel in the visions of the

64 THE BIODEL PREACH EK.

night, and said, Jacob, Jacob ; and he said, Here
am I. And he said, I am God, the God of thy fa-
ther ; fear not to go down into Egypt : for I will there
make of thee- a great nation. I will go down with
thee into Egypt, and I will also surely bring thee up
again : and Joseph shall put his hand upon thine
eyes." God knew Avhere Joseph was all the time,
and could have told his servant Israel, but knew that
it was best that he should not know, till the appro-
priate time should come. We here ''know but in
part." "And Jacob rose up from Beersheba: and
the sons of Israel carried Jacob their father, and their
little ones, and their wives, in the w^agons which
Pharaoh had sent to carry him. And they took their
cattle, and their goods, wdiich they had gotten in the
land of Canaan, and came into Egypt, Jacob, and all
his seed with him. And he sent Judah before him
unto Joseph, to direct his face unto Goshen; and
.they came into the land of Goshen. And Joseph
made ready his chariot, and went up to meet Israel
his father, to Goshen, and presented himself unto
him; and he fell on his neck, and wept on his neck a
good while."

When f ither Gennella, from Switzerland, met his
son Joseph from California, on the steamer, in New-
Orleans, after a separation of eighteen years, he fell
on his son's neck, and wept three hours before he
could speak a word. "And Israel said unto Joseph,
Now let me die, since I liavc seen thy face, l)ccause
thou art yet alive."

SURPRISES. 65

I liave in this narrative marked twenty- four sur-
prises, each suddenly opening a new channel for
thought and feeling, into which the tide of the reader's
sympathy flows as readily as the pent-up waters when
the fountain is tapped.

My space will not allow me to multiply specimen
illustrations from the Scriptures.

Every prophetic announcement, and every miracle,
was in itself a grand surprise, the power of which, at
this remote period, we can not very readily conceive.
The first proclamation of every doctrine of the Bible,
so directly antagonistic to the current notions of the
world, produced a startling surprise. Every Scripture
* narrative comes dow^n to us flashing with surprises.
"Holy men of God spake as they were moved by the
Holy Ghost;" and the divine oracles were written
out to the life, in simplicity. They did not merely give
an abstract statement of the truths they wished to
communicate ; but as far as possible, in all cases, in-
troduced each character represented, and allowed
them to act their part, and to tell wdiat they had to
say in their own language. No matter who is the
speaker, God, angels, devils, or men, all are reported,
where narration in detail is admissible, by a repetition
of their own words.

" The Lord spake unto Moses, and told him to com-
mand the children of Israel to be holy, for the reason
that God is holy" — No, sir; that was not the mode.

"The Lord spake unto Moses, saying, Speak

unto all the congregation of the children of Israel,

6

(jQ THE MODEL PRE AC HER.

and say unto them, Ye shall be holy : for I the Lord,
your God, am holy."

" Hear, 0 heavens, and give ear, 0 earth; for the
Lord hath spoken;" and what did he say? He said
he bad nourished and brought up children, and they
had rebelled against him, and that they were more
inconsiderate and stubborn than an ox or an ass. No
abstract report of the matter, my brother. He spake
saying, "I have nourished and brought up children,
and they have rebelled against me. " The ox knoweth
his owner, and the ass his master's crib, but Israel
.doth not knovf, my people doth not consider."

The prophet Daniel says: "And while I was speak-
ing, and praying, and confessing my sin, and the sin
of my people Israel, and presenting my supplication
before the Lord my God, for the holy mountain of
my God ; yea, while I was speaking in prayer, even
the man Gabriel whom I had seen in the vision at the
beginning, being caused to fly swiftly, touched me
about the time of the evening oblation. And he in-
formed me, and talked with me, and said, 0, Daniel,
I am now come forth to give thee skill and under-
standing. At the beginning of tby supplications the
commandment came forth, and I am come to show
thee, for thou art greatly beloved; therefore, under-
stand the matter and consider the vision. Seventy
weeks are determined upon thy people and upon thy
holy city, to finish the transgression and to make an
end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity,
and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal

SURPRISES. 67

ap the vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most
holy." Daniel does not give us an abstract rehearsal
of what the angel said, but lets us hear him spea,k in
his own words, just as they first fell from angelic lips.

"Now there was a day when the sons of God came
to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan came
also among them. And the Lord said unto Satan,
Whence comest thou?"

The sacred historian gives us Satan's reply, exactly
in his own words: "Then Satan answered the Lord,
and said. From going to and fro in the earth, and
from walking up and down in it."

"And in the synagogue there was a man which had
a spirit of an unclean devil," and cried to Jesus to let
him alone — No. "And cried out with a loud voice,
saying, Let us alone; what have we to do with thee,
thou Jesus of Nazareth; art thou come to destroy
us ? I know thee, who thou art; the holy one of God.
And Jesus rebuked him, saying, Hold thy peace and
come out of him. And when the devil had thrown
him in the midst he came out of him and hurt him
not. And they were all amazed, and spake amiong
themselves, saying, AYhat a word is this! for with
authority and power he commandeth the unclean spir-
its and they come out. And the fame of him went
out into every place of the country round about." In
this example you have the exact language of Jesus,
of the devils, of the multitude, and of the writer, in-
troducing the different characters, and describing the
effect.

08 T n E M 0 D E L P n E A. C II E K .

When the multitudes hctird Peter's pentecostal
sermon, "they were pricked in their hearts, and said
unto Peter and the rest of the apostles, Men and
brethren, Vvdiat shall we do? Then Peter said unto
them, Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in
the name of Jesus Christ, for the remission of sins,
and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.
For the promise is unto you and to your children, and
to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our
God shall call. Ant! Avith many other words did he
testify and exhort, saying, Save yourselves from this
untoward generation."

In graphic description and dramatic effect, the Bi-
ble exceeds every other production as far as the sun,
for brightness and power, exceeds the comets and
meteors that flash athwart the sky. The delineatory
productions of men are but imitations of the grand
old model of Moses and the prophets. The devil
stole the model and passed it over to his scribes,
who were too ignorant, or too lazy, or too corrupt, to
dig for truth, which might have been both interesting
and profitable to mankind, and hence employed their
God-given powers of intellect and heart in fictitious
creations. The devil immediately forged a copy-right,
running to the end of time, covering, not only the
new productions of tragedies, comedies, operas, and
novels, but the grand old model itself. Doctors of
Divinity stood back aghast. Lucifer had stolen their
thunder — the instrumental leverage-power by which
the Bible teachers had moved the world, and had

s u R r Tv I s E s . 69

prostituted and applied it to the lowest, meanest, and
most soul-destroying purposes, carrving tlie masses
by mere fiction, kno^vn to be sucli, and nothing in
itself; but the manner of telling it, the graphic
power and dramatic effect which had been borrowed
from the Bible and corrupted, gave to fiction and fiirce
their power. Teachers of religion were driven from
the highway of popular sympathy into the regions of
abstract theology and metaphysics, and lost their hold
on the great masses.

I presume to say to you, my brother, in confidence,
that the devil is the greatest monopolist in the uni-
verse. The incorrigible old squatter drove down
his stakes and laid claim to the globe — ''all the king-
doms of the world and the glory of them." He had
the audacious temerity to maintain his squatter sov-
ereignty before Him who made the world, and to
•whom the "earth and the fullness thereof belongs,"
trying to ignore his creative rights, and told him to
his face, that the only condition on which he could
obtain power in the world, was to acknowledge the
pretended claims of his diabolical highness, saying
most patronizingly, '' All these things will I give thee
if thou wilt fall down and worship me." He has flat-
tery and bribes to offer to political aspirants after
power, to this day.

The devil monopolized all the best music, and so
covered it with his diabolical copy-right that the
Church was confined to a few dry old chants, and the
Psalms of David without any tunes to them, till the

70 THE MODEL PREACHER.

Wesleys repudiated Lis claims, ignored his copy-riglit,
and, in the name of their Master, seized hold of all the
good music they could find, and passed it over to their
street-preachers and young converts, saying, '' The
devil has no right to all the good music." Since that,
whenever we find a good piece of music, we take it
into a revival of religion and have it converted, and
then its cheering melody is heard along the ''king's
highway," from pilgrims as they journey to their
home in heaven.

Sometimes we get a few pieces, which, like our
stony-ground converts, become very unprofitable
stock to us, and then we have to make the best we
can of a bad bargain. But we do n't think of giving
up the good fish, nor of giving up the business, be-
cause we occasionally find a frog in the net.

But the allied forces of hell have concentrated
all their diabolic energies, especially to .suppress
the preaching of the Gospel, or to adulterate it, or
at least tp monopolize the peculiar instruments of
its success — the Bible naturalness, simplicity, and
graphic power with which it was preached with so
great success. Satan gravely maintained that the
preaching of the Gospel in the world was a viola-
tion of his rights, and that it must be stopped. To
this end, he waged war against the saints, and
plaughtered them by the sword of heathen kings,
through a period of three hundred years, with re-
lentless cruelty. The devil then began to' distrust
his policy; for though the earth was flooded with the

SURPRISES. 71

blood of saints, their nuiPibcrs and power were all
the time increasing. Every new victim seemed to
drop, from the curling flames through which he as-
cended to heaven, a mantle, which was seized bv a
score who immediately stood up in the place of their
departed brethren, as candidates for the stake and
a martyr's crown.

For a time there was a suspension of hostilities.
The war counsels of hell, in secret conclave joined,
were evidently devising some new stratagem — what
it might be none could tell. A general amnesty
was soon after proclaimed, and the devil marched
up to the baptismal altar, witnessed a good j^rofession,
and joined the Church. He who " would rather reign
in hell than serve in heaven," could not be an hon-
orary member, or mere drone. He soon assumed to
be bishop, and royal pope of the whole fraternity.
Every thing under his wise supervision was remod-
eled. The old self-denying, cross-bearing modes
were ignored; vforldly honors and wealth were poured
into the visible Church in full tide; splendid churches
were built; old heathen temples were surmounted
with the cross, and converted into cathedrals ; the
former simple ^'worship in spirit and in truth," was
superseded by an endless circle of forms and cere-
monies. The Bible was withheld from the people,
and its divine teachings superseded by the tradi-
tions of the fathers and the mandates of the devil.
Preaching was tolerated, but it must be in Latin,
BO as to awe the common people by its dark mys-

72 THE MODEL rHEACnER.

terics, und every body must submit to the new order
of things, or be persecuted to the death. Thus
the devil held uninterrupted sway in the Church for
ages, none daring to call in question his piety or
prerogatives, except a few bands of persecuted mount-
aineers, cross-bearers of the original type.

I will not, my brother, pretend to give you a hi.?-
tory of Satan's religious professions and character,
for you are well posted on this subject. I will
simply add that, when the Bible was again restored
to the people, and they recovered the pure doctrines
of the Gospel, his next business was to conceal the
simple, effective Bible modes of preaching it, and
introduce a heavy system of abstract theology, and
a still more abstract, dry system of homiletics.
Though the various branches of the Church have re-
covered the Gospel in its purity, and have it preached
by their living ministry, called of God, and laboring
earnestly for the salvation of souls, still, however,
the devil has laid his plans so ingeniously, and ex-
ecuted them so faithfully, that the power of the
pulpit, mighty as it has been for two hundred years
past, has been, and still is, sadly trammeled by dry
forms and stiff modes, which do not take hold of
the masses like the preaching of John the Baptist,
of Jesus, or his apostles, and their early successors.
A few leading spirits in different ages have, by the
strength of Jesus, not only with thousands of their
brethren, embraced the sound saving doctrines of the
Gospel, but also, in spite of the devil and his time-

SURPRISES. 73

honored modes, have seized and used the simj^le
Bible-modes of preaching them. Thej thus became
men of might, swaying the masses by the simplicity
and power of Gospel eloquence. I will reserve their
illustrious names and modes, till after I shall have
illustrated to you the model preacher and his mode.

7

74 THE MODEL PTIEACIIER.

LETTER IV.

tURPIlISES APPROPRIATE TO THE PULPIT.

My Dear Brother, — Having alluded to so great
a variety of surprises, you naturally inquire, what
kind of surprise power is appropriate to the pulpit?
In trying to answer that question, I will first mention
some varieties which I consider inappropriate.

1. All eccentric oddities in words or gestures not
called for by the subject nor suited to the occasion.

I remember, when a boy, of hearing a preacher say,
in connection with a great many singular contortions
of his face and strange gestures, "You may call me
a wild man, or a South American tiger, or an African
lion, or what you please, but by the grace of God I
am a Methodist preacher."

Another once arose and said to his audience, " I
have got up here to display my ignorance before you
all." He did all that he proposed to do.

An old brother told me, a few days since, that he
once went to Vincennes to hear Lorenzo Dow preach
on backsliding. Said he, ''An immense concourse
of people assembled in the woods, and waited some
time for Dow's arrival. Finally he made his appear-
ance, and at the time we all expected the sermon, he
arose, climbed up a smooth sapling, and cried out,
< Hold on there, Dow, hold on.' Then he began to

APPROPRIATE SURPRISES. 75

elide down, now and then stopping, and repeating,
*Hold on there, Dow, hold on.' He soon slid down
to the ground, and put on his hat and left. That was
all the sermon we got that day."

In my allusions to Lorenzo, I do n't mean to cast
any reflections on his character or precious memory.
When I was stationed in Georgetown, D. C, a num-
ber of years ago, I took "reformation John Adams,"
of New Hampshire, to see Lorenzo's grave, in a cem-
etery in the northern suburbs of Washington City.
Adams wept over it and said, "Precious man of
God, he was my spiritual father, and I have no doubt
that I will meet him in heaven."

Many, I have no doubt, will in heaven record
sweet memories of that eccentric servant of God;
but we should not imitate his oddities.

2. All such as are of a doubtful moral propriety,
or likely to have a demoralizing effect.

It is said of a celebrated American preacEer, who
knows well hoAV to arrest attention, and hold it, and
generally does so by appropriate means, that on a
very warm summer day, when he arose in his pulpit

to preach, his first sentence was, " It 's d d hot

this morning." That was a sudden surprise, which
arrested and astonished every hearer. After a mo-
ment's pause, he proceeded, saying, "I heard that
shocking expression fall from the lips of a man as
I entered the church a minute ago." He then
preached a withering sermon against the sin of pro-
fane swearing. He accomplished, by that surprise^

76 THE MODEL rREACHER.

all that he designed, but at too great a cost. Thu
startling announcement, coming from such a source,
fixed so deep an impression on the mind of every
hearer, especially of the young, that his whole ser-
mon could not eradicate it, nor neutralize its poi-
sonous effect. It rang, I doubt not, in the ears of
every boy who heard it for a week, and he invol-
untarily repeated it to himself a thousand times,
and perhaps quoted it to others, and apologized, by

" Mr. snid it." The effect, upon the whole, must

have been bad, decidedly bad.

At a camp meeting I attended last fall in Ohio,
the brother who was appointed to preach Sunday,
P. M., arose in the stand at the hour for preaching,
and said, " I seldom ever tell an anecdote, but for
the purpose of getting your attention, I '11 relate
one. I can not vouch for its truth, but I give it to you
V as I got it." (Never tell a congregation, my brother,
that you wish to arrest their attention, or that you
will relate an anecdote. You can do all that much
more easily, and effectually, without a previous ad-
vertisement of your design.) He then occupied about
fifteen minutes in relating an old Egyptian legend,
the hero of which, in company with his brother,
was a robber of the king's treasury. The king set
a trap of some kind, in which his brother was caught.
Then to escape detection through his unfortunate
brother, he cut off his head, and took it away with
him, leaving the body so mutilated that it could not
be identified. By various wonderful deeds of rapine

APPEOPRIATE SURPRISES. 77

and murder — which the preacher described — he be-
came so notorious, that the king offered his daugh-
ter to any man vfho would detect and arrest him.
The murderer was attracted by the fair reward,
sought the acquaintance of the king's daughter, and
having ingratiated himself into her favor, gave him-
self up to her, as the murderer for whose apprehen-
sion she was to be the reward. He thus succeeded
in getting her for his wife, and was promoted to
high ofi5cial position by the king. He appended
no moral, but told it simply to arrest attention.
It did arrest attention, but at quite too great a cost,
for it honored and rewarded the deepest, darkest
deeds of infamy, and had a very bad moral effect.^

I was shocked and grieved, and especially surprised,
that a man of his experience and ability should re-
sort to such means of arresting attention; for he is
much more than an ordinary preacher, and could have
arrested attention by the power of truth and appro-
priate illustration.

3. I would set the contraband seal on whatever is
silly or irrelevant.

An old brother, while preaching at a camp meet-
ing on one occasion, finding that his hearers were list-
less and sleepy, stopped in the midst of his discourse,
and, after a pause of sufficient length to cause them
all to look up, pointing upward, he said, "The fork of
that tree would make a good pack-saddle." He thus
arrested their attention, and then proceeded with his
sermon. I think that was better than to let them go

78 THE MODEL PREACHER.

to sleep, but it was irrelevant, and hence inappropri-
ate. He should have arrested attention, but he
should have done it by a surprise that would have
carried their thoughts and feelings to the subject of
discourse, and not from it.

A brother, still living, was, on one occasion, preach-
ing on the subject of hell. When he was about reach-
ing the climax of his descriptions of the infernal re-
gions, language seemed to fail under the weight of
some wonderful forthcoming thought, when, after a
little pause, he pulled a match out of his pocket, and,
striking it, held it up, saying, "Do you see that?
See its blue blazes and curling smoke; and, 0, what
a smell! and yet this is a very small matter compared
with the dreadful hell to which sinners are hastening."
That was a silly trifling with the subject and the oc-
casion.

4. All stratagemical performances involving decep-
tion.

A brother, who is a man of considerable power,
was preaching one night to a large audience, but
failed to arrest their attention. In the midst of his
sermon three young men came into church, to whom
he addressed himself as they were entering, saying:
"If I had known that you were coming in with that
dagger to arrest these men, I could have had the
whole matter amicably adjusted, and avoided all this
trouble." The people were so startled that many
sprang to their feet, and he had to assure them that
there was no danger, and that he had only adopted

APPROPRIATE SURPRISES. 79

that plan to wake them up, before he could get them
quiet. He succeeded in arresting attention, but
**paid too dear for the whistle." It was an uncertain
sound of the trumpet. His hearers felt that he had
been trifling with them, and the reaction was very
unfavorable.

It is said that, at one time, when Lorenzo Dow
preached under a large spruce pine, in South Caro-
lina, he announced another appointment for preaching
in the same place, on that day twelve months. The
year passed, and as Lorenzo was entering the neigh-
borhood the evening preceding his appointment, he
overtook a colored boy who was blowing a long tin
horn, and could, as I have often heard them, send
forth a blast with rise, and swell, and cadence, which
waked the echoes of the distant hills.

Overtaking the blower, Dow said to him : "What's
your name, sir?"

"My name Gabriel, sir," replied the brother in
ebony.

"Well, Gabriel, have you been to Church Hill?"

"Yes, massa, I'se been dar many time."

" Do you remember a big spruce pine-tree on that
hill?"

"0 yes, massa, I knows dat pine."

"Did you know that Lorenzo Dow had an appoint-
ment to preach under that tree to-morrow?"

" 0 yes, massa, every body knows dat."

"Well, Gabriel, I am Lorenzo Dow, and if you'll
take your horn and go, to-morrow morning, and cMmb

80 THE MODEL PREACHER.

up into that pine-tree and hide yourself among the
branches before the people begin to gather, and \yait
there till I call your name, and then blow such a blast
"with your horn as I heard you blow a minute ago, I '11
give you a dollar. Will you do it, Gabriel ?"

" Yes, massa, I takes dat dollar."

Gabriel, like Zaccheus, was hid away in the tree-top
in due time. An immense concourse of persons, of
all sizes and colors, assembled at the appointed hour,
and DoAY preached on the judgment of the last day.
By his power of description he wrought the multitude
up to the opening of the scenes of the resurrection
and grand assize, at the call of the trumpet peals
which were to wake the sleeping nations. Then, said
he, " Suppose, my dying friends, that this should be
the hour. Suppose you should hear, at this moment,
the sound of Gabriel's trumpet." Sure enough, at
that moment the trump of Gabriel sounded. The
women shrieked, and many fainted ; the men sprang
up and stood aghast; some ran; others fell and cried
for mercy; and all felt, for a time, that the judgment
w\as set, and the books were opened. Dow stood and
watched the driving storm till the fright abated, and
some one discovered the colored angel who had caused
the alarm, quietly perched on a limb of the old spruce,
and wanted to get him down to whip him, and then
resumed his theme, saying : " I forbid all persons
from touching that boy up there. If a colored boy,
with a tin horn, can frighten you almost out of your
wits, what wdll ye do when you shall hear the trumpet

APPROPRIATE SURPRISES. 81

thunder of the archangel? How will ye be able to
stand in the great day of the wrath of God?" He
made a very effective application. That was better
than a long, dry sermon, conveying no impression,
except that the tidings of Gospel mercy were of no
moment at all, and sinners in no danger, or in danger
so trifling as not to w\ake up the souls of either the
preacher or his hearers. The deception involved in
the latter case is quite as great, and much more fatal
than the temporary deception of Dow's stratagem.
But still, while that may have been admissible for
Lorenzo Dow, such a thing, with all kindred strat-
agems, is not necessary to effective Gospel preaching,
and should not be resorted to.

5. Extravagant flights of fancy, and chimerical
surprises.

A modern preacher of considerable power and
great celebrity, among other fanciful pictures drawn,
on one occasion, for the entertainment of his audi-
ence, represented an '^ angel running on a rainbow
with a basket of stars in each hand."

Another, speaking of a conveyance to the better
world, said, " I will jump astride a streak of light-
ning, put spurs to it, and dash off to glory." Such
fancies may arrest attention, but represent no reality
in this world or the next, illustrate no truth, convey
no definite instruction, and are hence inappropriate.

A young preacher in Indiana, I was informed, was
preaching to a congregation, two-thirds of which
were Campbellites, and said in his discourse, ''The

82 THE MODEL PREACHER.

Canipbellite Church is the devil's drag net, which he
is dragging through this world, raking up all the tad-
poles in creation. The next morning after the res-
urrection," he '11 have a grand fry out of you all/''
Many of his audience, as might have been expected,
took offense, and some of them threatened to whip
him. He heard of their threats, and, the next time
he preached, told them that they need not suppose
they could frighten him; said he, "I would not
be afraid if I should meet your daddy, the devil,
with a head as big as this world, and hell fire flashing
out of both eyes." Such things display some ingenu-
ity, but are foolish and offensive, and can produce no
good effect.

One of the greatest preachers of the w^est, whose
memory is still as a sweet perfume to thousands who
have caught inspiration from his lips, and expect to
meet him in heaven, was preaching one night to a
large audience, but failed for some time to arrest
their attention. He knew the importance of doing
that thing, and could not consent to waste his time
and strength. Just as some of his hearers were set-
tling down for a snooze, he paused till he got them to
look to sec if he was still there, and then exclaimed,
"• God have mercy on your pot-metal souls." Turn-
ing to the venerable man behind, he said, "Brother
Havens, what kind of souls have you got here? I can't
do any thing with them. I '1,1 sit down, and let you
try them. Get up here, brother Havens, and sluice
hell and damnation upon them by the hogshead."

, APPROPRIATE SURPRISES. 83

Brother Havens refused to get up, and the preacher
turned again to his startled audience, and preached
a sermon which swept down the sinners like men slain
on the field of battle, till the preacher's voice was
drowned by their wailings of distress and cries for
mercy. His figure of *' sluicing hell and damnation
on the people," was of the chimerical order ; but ex-
treme cases require extreme measures, and such a
master as he was is the best judge as to what the oc-
casion demands; and there were so much thunder and
lightning in his surprises, that they proved them-
selves to be just the thing in that case neces-
sary to extraordinary effect for good. It would
not, however, be safe for you or me to try to
imitate him, and yet we may gather a valuable les-
son from him.

6. All attempts at soaring above our capacity —
what Mr. "Wesley calls " grasping at the stars and
sticking in the mud."

An Irish orator once said, in his sermon, " Could
I place one foot upon the sea, and the other upon the
Georgiumsidus, dip my tongue into the livid light-
nings, and throw my voice into the bellowing thunder,
I would wake the world with the command. Repent,
turn to God and seek salvation."

'Tis said that a friend of mine, thinking that very
sublime, once tried in the pulpit to take the same
flight, saying, ''Could I place one foot on the sea, and
the other on — ahem — on the Georgiumsidus — ahem,
ahem — I 'd howl round this little world." He choked

84 THE MODEL PREACHER.

on the big word, forgot the rest, and down he came
a howling.

A young man, whose aspirations for celebrity as a
preacher were only equaled by hi° want of all the es-
sential elements except confidence, and who was
finally discontinued from the work, was once dis-
coursing on the expansive character of the human
mind, and said, " Yes, my friends, the mind of man
is so expansive that it can soar from star to star, and
from satchelite to satchelite, and from seraphene to
seraphene, and from cherrybeam to cherrybeam, and
from thence to the center of the doom of heaven."
We have but few young men, I think, who would
undertake such a flight as that. One such would
finish the reputation of any young preacher as ef-
fectually as Mr. Thurston was finished by his last
balloon ascension.

7. There is a great deal of what is known as "flow-
ery preaching" — pretty sayings, and fanciful figures,
which represent no specific truths, and illustrate
nothing but the want of ideas. They seem to be used
simply as the ornamental work of the performance.
Su -li things, however, can not appropriately come
under the head of surprises; for though they may
tickle the ear, they are quite too light and ethereal
to wake up the soul, having about the same eff'ect on
the conscience of a sinner as bird shot on the hide of
a rhinoceros. Nearly akin to this, I will add, tliere
is a highly-rhetorical style of preaching which arrests
attention and excites admiration, but is too elaborate

APPROPRIATE SURPRISES. 85

and abstract to impress the memory, and produce
much lasting good.

The appropriate surprise power of any produc-
tion, of the pulpit or the pen, is contained essen-
tially in the truth itself, and not simply in the nar-
ration of it. Every thing, as I have said before, that
God has revealed to us in his great magazine of
truth — his revelations in nature, in his providence, and
in his inspired word — is full of surprises. If "we
meditate on all his works, and talk of his doings" cor-
rectly, and truthfully transmit the impression of them
to the minds of our auditors, we will thus convey the
surprises just as we receive them. But if we run
God's simple truths through a metaphysical mill, and
grind them down, and then recast them by the model
of a great deal of the abstract divinity of these days,
we will mar and caricature all God's beautiful forms
of truth, and render the truth itself pointless and
powerless.

In my opinion, many misguided friends of re-
ligion thus murder the virgin of Truth, tear the
flesh oif her bones, and then dress up her skele-
ton according to their own ideas of ministerial dig-
nity, and then bring her out for exhibition in splen-
did widely-expanded silk and satin. Some gaze
with admiration, some cry, "Great is Diana of the
Ephesians," and some go up and draw aside her vail,
and find, alas ! that she is dead — a pack of bones
exceedingly dry.

But to the question. The appropriate surprise

86 THE MODEL PREACHER.

power of the pulpit, my brother, you "vvill find, firsts
in the essential truth of God, which you wish to
communicate to the people ; and, seeondj in the facts
and illustrations you may employ to assist you in
arresting attention, and in conveying the truth to
the heads and hearts of your hearers. Gospel truth,
with its essential surprises, was much more effective
in arresting attention on its first announcement, tlmn
it can ordinarily be, after its frequent repetition
to the same persons. The simple announcement of
new doctrines, so directly opposite to the popular
standards of the times, had a startling effect. In
this regard, the early teachers of Christianity had a
great advantage over the modern. Take for. ex-
ample a few specimens of the Savior's sermon on
the mount.

The scribes and Pharisees claimed to be the most
pious people under the sun, but Jesus publicly de-
nounced them as hypocrites, saying, "For I say unto
you, that except ^owv righteousness shall exceed the
righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall
in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven."

The D. D.'s of those days confined the application
of the moral law to the outward life, and even in
that regard sanctioned so many invasions of its
authority, as to render it nugatory, making the word
of God of none effect by their traditions.

They taught, saying, "Thou shalt not kill." Jesus
taught, as summed up in the language of the beloved dis-
ciple, " Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer."

APPROPRIATE SURPRISES. 87

They applied the law to the overt act, saying,
" Thou shalt not commit adultery."

Jesus taught, " That whosoever looketh on a woman
to lust after her, hath committed adultery with her
already in his heart."

They said, " Whosoever shall put away his wife, let
him give her a writing of divorcement." Even Jose-
phus, the celebrated Jewish historian, in his life,
tells us, with the utmost coolness and indifference,
"About this time, I put away my wife, who had borne
me three children, not being pleased with her man-
ners."

Hear the great Teacher on that subject: "But I say
unto, you, That whosoever shall put away his wife,
saving for the cause of fornication, causeth her to
commit adultery; and whosoever shall marry her
that is divorced, committeth adultery."

They sanctioned a great variety of profane swear-
ing, and taught that, unless they swore by the Lord
directly, they might with impunity, without incurring
any obligation or guilt, swear by heaven, by the
earth, "by the temple, by the gold of the temple, etc.

But Jesus commands, " Swear not at all ; neither by
heaven, for it is God's throne ; nor by the earth, for
it is his footstool ; neither by Jerusalem, for it is
the city of the great king ; neither shalt thou swear
by thy head, because thou canst not make one hair
white or black. But let your communication be, yea,
yea; nay, nay; for whatsoever is more than these
cometh of evil."

88 T II E ]M 0 D E L P E E A C II E R .

They perverted the law of equal justice : " An eye
for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth ;" designed to reg-
ulate the decisions of the magistrate, to a divine au-
thorization of all sorts of personal retaliation and
revenge.

*'But I say unto you," proclaimed the great Teach-
er, "That ye resist not evil, but whosoever shall smite
thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also.
And if a man sue thee at law, and take away thy
coat, let him have thy cloak also. And whosoever
shall compel thee to go a mile, go with him twain :
give to him that asketh thee, and from him that would
borrow of thee turn not thou away."

'They taught that they were bound to love their
friends, and members of their own Church, and hate
every body else with a perfect hatred, contemptu-
ously calling them dogs.

Jesus knocks the underpinning from that refuge
of lies also, saying, " But I say unto you. Love your
enemies, bless them that cui^e you, do good to them
that hate you, and pray for them which despitefuUy
use you, and persecute you; that ye may be the
children of your Father which is in heaven ; for ho
maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good,
and scndeth rain on the just and on the unjust.
For if ye love them which love you, what reward
have ye? Do not even the publicans the same?
And if ye salute your brethren only, what do ye
more than others? Do not even the publicans
so? Bo ye therefore perfect, even as your Father,

APPROPRIATE SURPRISES. 89

which is in heaven is perfect." From the heart-
searching application of the law, the Savior next
proceeds in his discourse, to the outward manifesta-
tion of the inward life — to works of mercy and works
of piety. Every announcement was startlingly an-
tagonistic to all the popular notions of the day.
When to the teachings of Jesus were added the
wonderful tidings of his resurrection and ascension,
the descent of the Holy Ghost, the full development
of Gospel truth and Gospel appliances, and their
astonishing success in saving souls, the preaching
of the Gospel became the greatest attraction of the
age ; startling, convincing, and reforming the people
by the hundred thousand.

So, after the truth had been hid from the nations
during the dreary night of the dark ages, the simple
theses of Luther went like thunderbolts to the con-
sciences of the people. Millions of souls responded
and rallied to the standard of the reformer.

How the pure doctrines of the Gospel, brought up
from the rubbish and filth of ages, by Wesley and his
coadjutors in the great reformation of the eight-
eenth century, and preached in original simplicity,
struck the world with surprise, and sent forth its liv-
ing waters for the healing of the nations !

But, notwithstanding the surprise powder contained
in Gospel truth itself, and especially on its first an-
nouncement, the Savior and his apostles show always
the difficulty and essential necessity of arresting at-
tention, by the various means they employed to wake

90 THEMODELPREACHER.

up tlieir hearers. Tlicy employed surprise nates of
attention— " Hearken !" "Behold! behold!" "Ver-
ily, verily I say unto you." They employed, also,
partly for the same purpose, an endless variety of
startling facts, and literal figures from real life. If
these collateral modes just named were necessary to
arrest attention when Gospel truth was so fresh and
startling in itself, how much more necessary are they
now that the truths of the Gospel are so familiar to
the minds of the masses !

I do n't mean to say, my brother, that the living
Gospel of Jesus has lost any of its inherent freshness
or power, but the words, the doctrinal formulas of the
Gospel, and especially the abstract recasting of them,
have become familiar to the minds of the people,
and the repetition of them fails to arrest attention.

The ivords of the Bible were written under the in-
spiration of the Holy Spirit, and are, hence, always
invaluable and true; still they are but the shell, and
not the kernel ; the shadow, and not the substance ;
the unerring delineation of the vital thing, but not
the thing itself; the body, but not the soul.

A great deal of the scholastic divinity of modern
days has but a very small sprinkling of even the
shells of Gospel truth, but little of the shadow, and
much less of the substance, pointing out to a poor
blind sinner the way to heaven about as clearly aa
Don Quixotte's windmills.

A great many preachers who "hold fast the form
of sound words," and preach the pure doctrines of

APPROPRIATE SURPRISES. 91

tlie Gospel — and it lias often been so with myself —
nevertheless fail to preach ''in demonstration of the
spirit and of power." It is, however, a truth, which
I suppose all admit, that the novelty of Gospel
preaching, when first proclaimed, gave to the primi-
tive preachers a great advantage not enjoyed by their
modern brothers, in the matter of arresting attention.
We have, to be sure, some compensative advantage
over our ancient brothers, in the cumulative evidence
•of the truth and power of the Gospel furnished in
the history of its conquests in the world.

But the advantage they had over us in arresting at-
tention by the novelty of Gospel truth, we should sup-
ply by the use of those collateral modes before men-
tioned— fresh, thrilling facts and figures drawn from
the material world, the daily manifestations of Provi-
dence, the developments of humanity in all its forms
and phases, as delineated in the Scriptures, and re-
vealed in every-day life within us and all around us,
and from the movements of the present, living,
mighty God of the Gospel marching at the head of
the armies of Israel in the world.

I will now repeat what I said before. The appro-
priate surprise power of the pulpit is contained, first,
in the truth of the Gospel itself; and, second, in the
facts and illustrations you may employ to assist you
in arresting attention, and in conveying the truth to
the understanding and hearts of your hearers. I
have much to say in regard to the illustrations. which
I consider appropriate to the pulpit ; but as I have al-

92 THE MODEL PREACHER.

rca.ilv drawn oat this letter to an undue extent, I will
give you my thoughts on this latter division of this
subject, after I shall have introduced to you the
Model Preacher^ and his modes.

niS CHARACTERISTICS. 93

LETTEE V.

THE MODEL PREACHER.

My Dear Brother, — You desire to know whom I
select as my model. Some of my friends have been
trying to anticipate me by guessing, and have nom-
inated a number of celebrated men — such as White-
field, Spurgeon, Henry Yfard Beecher, J. P. Durbin,
Bishop Simpson, and others.

There are many model preachers these days, work-
men great and good, who need not be ashamed, and
who are not ashamed to defend the right, and would
stand for God 'mid fire, flood, and death, if put to
the test.

I need not name the many who are regarded as
models by various parties of difi"erent tastes. I will,
however, insert a poetic description of a model
preacher, composed by Sanford P. Cox, Esq., of
Lafayette, la. Brother Cox is by profession a law-
yer, and not a poet, and yet there are many bearing
the name with much less poetic genius than he pos-
sesses. By the way, I am told he is about to publish
a volume of his original poems, which I hope will
justly entitle him to worthy rank among American
poets.

The occasion suggesting the following poem was a
sermon preached by Rev. Richard Hargrave, at a

94 THE MODEL PREACHER.

camp meeting held near Shawnee Prairie, la., up-
ward of twenty years ago :

THE EVANGELIST.

Awhile he stood, absorb'd in tho't profound ;
Deep and momentous was the awful theme
That struggled in his plulantliropic breast,
Where all the finer attributes of soul
In hormony most sweet, commingling grew :
And Faith and Hope, deep-rooted and serene,
Beam'd from his countenance and steadfast eye
As round he gazed, solemnly and meek.
As angels gaze, when kneeling at the throne.

Then from his lips, attun'd to strains divine.
And themes most worthy of the deep research
Of him who deals the sacred lore of heaven,
Flow'd in sweet numbers, and convincing power,
Each paragraph of truth — empyrean truth.
Strong with the potent eloquence of heaven :
For 't was from thence the oracle came down —
, A transcript of the Eternal's righteous will.

Who, in his goodness vast, vouclisaf 'd to man
Wisdom sufficient, if improved, to gain
A knowledge suitable, and just, of Him
Who spoke from Chaos' dark dominions.
Of blackness vast, and void immensity,
InnilTiierous worlds, illuminated spheres.
And shining orbs, and blazing satellites;
And o'er tliera all proclaimed his righteous laws.
That should each govern, in its grand career.
Circling through heaven ; and unto those
Iligh-favorcd beings, with his goodness crown'd,
Tliat should inhabit and admire these spheres.
As he had right to do.

Man's primal purity first loud he rung
In witching melody, as if Uie lyro

HIS CHARACTERISTICS. 95

Of sonio brigLt seraph, liovL-ring round Lliis sphere.

Had wak'd Doxologies, or lent a strain

To thrill this ball with cadence heavenly sweet.

He spoke of Eden's sunny bowers, and trees

Crowned with celestial fruits, v.'hose leaves

Of heavenly emerald were wont to drink

Ambrosial sweetness, teeming from on high,

And glittering mildly as ihe new-made sun

Rode up the eastern sky in car of gold,

To flood creation with his broad, bright smile.

As God had bade, to intimate to man

His approbation of the sinless world.

As yet unmarred, and undefiled by man ;

And spoke of streams that glided gently through

Elysian groves, and flower-embroider'd plains,

"Where no fell herb, of poisonous juice, distill'd

iJuwholesorae odors 'midst the gentler flowers ;

liTor thorn, nor thistle grew.

Then of the Fall— rebellious act of man,

That call'd its dark grim colleague, Death,

From his dread lair, to plant aloft

His sable colors, inscribed " Mortality,"

O'er blooming wreaths, where erst, and lately flow'd

In light divine, and balmy winds of heaven.

The flag of endless life and innocence.

Then of Redemption spoke, with lips of fire.

And ardor, kindling high, and holy awe.

As he portrayed, in diction apt, and heavenly phrase,

The pathos deep, of an offended Goi).

Who, to maintain the honor of his throne,

And broken laws, and rescue man from death —

Eternal death, did, in his condescension vast.

And mercy infinite, throw round himself —

The eternal great I Air, the menial garb

^Yhich sin-stain'd mortals wear, and thus abas'd,

Came bending from the skies —

96 THE MODEL PREACHER.

From bis own court of majesty supreme,
-Where angel choirs celestial anthems swell,
And from their golden harps, which never fail.
Pour through the empyrean ceaseless strains of love •
And offered his own sacred person on the cross ;
Proffering back immortality to man.

God hung upon a cross !

While angels mourned, if grief can enter heaven,

And earth, convulsed and trembling on its poles,

Rock'd to and fro in throes of burning shame ;

While Phoebus, blushing to behold the scene,

Shut in his radiance, folded all his beams,

And beckon'd to the clouds to come and aid.

By "weeping freely o'er expiring God !

On, in confusion, rush'd the weeping clouds,"

Led on their path by fitful streams of light.

That 'scap'd from heaven's inconstant flambeau's glare

That rous'd from far, and every bourne of lieaven,

The potent thunders of the universe.

Which, wildly raving through each hollow vault,

Wak'd every sphere, however distant far.

That God had made, and bade them come and mourn ,

Till every planet, orb, and distant world,

Kesponsive waird,and in their track stood still,

Transfix'd in woe, and quivering to behold

Jehovah bruis'd, and bleeding for this world.

Wor need I now, in labor'd strains, rehearse

His melting story of the rising God,

Who, ere three days had settled nature's mien.

Rose in their aid, triumphant from the tomb.

And cast a smile of bright salvation round.

That pierced the tomb of many a sleeping saint.

Who shouting rose, put on immortal life.

And witli the Lamb, triumphing, entered lieaven ;

Leaving behind a record 5^f his will,

Wliich the meek preacher wav'd, and sternly said.

This is God's Law — Man's Polar Star to Heaven ,

HIS CHARACTERISTICS. 97

That is the description of a model preacher, but
not of the model preacher. Who then is the model ?

Jesus was a great preacher. He understood his
business, and furnished a model for all his embassa-
dors to work by, to the end of the world.

In presenting a point or proposition, or in defining
and enforcing a duty, his plan was first to state the
subject clearly, in the fewest and simplest words pos-
sible— then illustrate — then apply. When argument
was necessary, it was of the same pointed, practical
character of his illustrations.

For example, when preaching on the subject of
prayer, he said, "Men ought always to pray, and not
to faint." He spent no time in telling them what the
old dead Greeks and Romans had said on the subject
a thousand years before, nor in proving what was
self-evident to all his hearers. He took it for granted
that they understood what he meant, when he said
men ought always to pray and not to faint, and hence
proceeds at once to illustrate an essential character-
istic of prayer — namely, importunity — "saying. There
was in a city a judge, which feared not God, neither
regarded man." (We have a few more left of the
same sort.) The ears of every old man and little boy
in the congregation were open to hear about that judge.

" And there was a widow in that city, and she came
unto him, saying. Avenge me of mine adversary."
Every heart was now in sympathy with the poor
widow, and burning to know the result of her suit
against the extortionary wretch who, probably, on an
9

98 THE MODEL PREACHER.

overcharge for room rent, or otlierAvise, was about to
take aAvay her bed and turn her out of doors. Tho
judge, at first, refused to entertain the case, but she
continued to cry, "Avenge me of mine adversary.
And he would not for awhile : but afterward he said
within himself, Though I fear not God nor regard
man; yet, because this widow troubleth me, I will
avenge her, lest by her continual coming she weary
me." This he said within himself, but Jesus heard
him say it. "And the Loi-d said. Hear what the un-
just judge saith." All eyes, and ears, and hearts
were open. They heard it all, and felt it, too.

Having driven a nail in a sure place, he proceeds
at once to clinch it with his application, saying, "And
shall not God avenge his 0Y,n elect, which cry day
and night unto him, though he bear long with them ?
I tell you he will avenge them speedily."

Observe the naturalness of his touching appeal to
their filial hepes : '^ I tell you that he will avenge them
speedily."

He then, without any formality, proceeds to illus-
trate another essential characteristic of prayer — name-
ly, liiimility — adapting that part of his discourse to
certain persons in the congregation, " Avhicli trusted
in themselves that they were righteous, and despised
others :" saying, " Two men went up in the temple to
pray ; the one a Pharisee and the other a publican" —
definite in his locality and personality, every hearer
could, in his mind, see the temple, and see the two
men walking up. "The Pharisee stood and prayed

HIS CHARACTERISTICS. 99

thus with himself, God, I thank thee that I am not as
other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or
even as this publican. I fast t^yice in the week, I
give tithes of all that I possess." The long-faced
fellow presented no petition at all. He was good
enough, and only wanted to tell the Lord how extra-
ordinarily pious he was.

" The publican, standing afar off, would not lift up
so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his
breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner. I
tell you, this man went down to his house justified,
rather than the other."

Then comes his application, as in the other case.
He does not wait to bring it up in separate proposi-
tions at the close of his sermon, but strikes every
time while the iron is hot. ^' For every one that
exalteth himself" — like that Pharisee — "shall be
abased; and he that humbleth himself" — like that
poor publican — " shall be exalted."

On another occasion, when Jesus was preaching on
the same subject, he especially illustrated the import-
ance of importunity. "And he said unto them,
Which of you shall have a friend, and shall go unto
him at midnight, and say unto him. Friend, lend me
three loaves: for a friend of mine in his journey is
come to me, and I have notliin!; to set before him.
And he from within shall answer and say. Trouble me
not : the door is now shut, and my children are with
me in bed; I can not rise and give thee. I say unto
you, Though he will not rise and give him, because he

100 THE MODEL PREACHER.

is his friend, yet because of his importunity he will
rise and give him as many as he needeth.

" And I say unto you, Ask, and it shall be given
you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be
opened unto you. For every one that asketh, receiv-
eth ; and he that seeketh, findeth ; and to him that
knocketh, it shall be opened." If the door of mercy
is not opened at once, let him continue to knock like
the man who wanted to borrow the three loaves. "It
shall be opened " — God hath said it. The preacher,
by that life-picture, arrested the attention of all his
hearers, and then added another which tapped the
fountains of every heart.

'''- If a son shall ask bread of any of you that is a
father, will he give him a stone ; or if he ask a fish,
will he, for a fish, give him a serpent ; or if he shall
ask an Qgg^ will he offer him a scorpion?" Can the
father be found, who, having listened to the cry of his
starving child — "0 father, give me a piece of bread,
please give me a piece of bread" — will not only re-
fuse bread, but frighten the poor child to death by
throwing a snake on it?

How comforting the application of the Master, in
these words, ''If ye, then, being evil, knoAv how to
give good gifts unto your children, how much more
shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit" — all
good gifts in one — " to them that ask him ?"

I have given these as specimens of tlie naturalness,
simplicity, and point of the Savior's preaching. Ac-
cording to the stiff standard of sermonizing that

HIS CHARACTERISTICS. 101

many adopt, we would take the great Teacher's ser-
mon on prayer, and strip from it all the simple
drapery with which the Master clothed it, abstract
the truth, and draw it out into a sermonical arrange-
ment, with as many heads and horns as some of
those monstrous animals which Daniel saw in vision,
and have it as dry as Gideon's dewless fleece, so ab-
stract and ethereal, at least, that most of it would evap-
orate above the sleepy heads of our listless hearers,
and hardly one drop of it fall down into their hearts.

Now, my dear brother, I wish you to understand,
distinctly, that I am not opposed to systematic study,
nor to systematic preaching. There is a natural and
a logical order of truth, and you may state the points,
and number them too, when necessary to clearness
and efiiciency.

Sermonizing is but a means to that end, and not
the end itself. It is but the scaffolding, and not the
building. If the end of preaching may, in any in-
stance, be more directly attained without formal ser-
monizing, do not lose your time, nor incumber your
message with needless formality; if necessary, let
the necessity determine the extent of its use. But
the practice of sacrificing nearly every thing neces-
sary to the success of Gospel preaching for the mere
idea of being a systematic sermonizer is a humbug,
nay, a sin against the souls of perishing men and
women. I opened a book of sermons, a few days
since, and the first one I glanced at contained forty-
two divisions, all numbered. What time has such a

102 THE MODEL T R E A C II E R .

preacher left for the illustration and application of
truth? The great Teacher's model for Gospel
preaching embraces five essential characteristics:

I. Clearness. — Clearness of perception, and hence
clearness of statement, illustration, and application.

II. Earnestness. — Earnestness of thought and
feeling, burdening and thrilling the soul of the
preacher.

III. Naturalness. — ^Naturalness of delivery, em-
bracing gesture, tones of voice, every thing pertaining
to the act of proclaiming the tidings of mercy to the
souls of the people.

lY. Literalness. — Literal facts demonstrating the
truth and power of the Gospel, and literal figures
from real life, illustrating the great principles of the
Gospel.

V. Appropriateness. — A -wise selection and adap-
tation of truth to the varied condition of the hearers.

I Tfill take up these characteristics or essential
elements of power in the order in which I have
stated them, and, to some extent, illustrate them sep-
arately, and then bring them out in their harmonious,
symmetrical" combinatit)n, as the model of Jesus, for
efficient Gospel preaching, and then, by a careful
test, show its conformity to the examples furnished
by Christ and his apostles.

CLEARNESS. 103

LETTER YI.

CLEARNESS.

My Dear Brother, — I wish to illustrate the char
acteristics of the Master's model in the order in
which I have stated them, beginning with clearness —
a clear perception and understanding of the subject
of discourse, and clear conceptions of the points you
wisli to make, and of the arguments and illustrations
you may wish to emplo}^ You will then be able to
state your points clearly — often in axiomatic form —
and, through the whole discourse, sho^v a facility and
an appropriateness of illustration which must arrest
attention, convey instruction, carry conviction to the
conscience, and produce good effect.

If you discourse on any scientific question, your
success will depend, essentially, first, on your clear
understanding of the subject, or that particular
phase of it on which you wish to speak. You can
then present every part of your discourse with trans-
parent definiteness.

So, also, in speaking on political economy, temper-
ance, or any other subject.

To preach the 'Gospel with clearness, you must, in
addition to a clear, theoretical knowledge of the
questions, or doctrines, you wish to advocate, have
the illumination of the Holy Spirit. The Holy

104 THE MODEL P R E A C II E K .

Ghost has been sent into the world for this very pur
pose — to enlighten and purify the embassadors of
Christ, and accompany their message with clearness
and eJBfect to the hearts of their hearers.

In one of those comforting farewell sermons of
Jesus, he said to his disconsolate little flock, "Let
not your hcvart be troubled ; ye believe in God, believe
also in me. In my Father's house are many man-
sions. If it were not so, I would have told you. I
go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and
prepare a place for you, I will come again and re-
ceive you unto myself; that where I am, there yo
may be also." ''If ye love me, keep my command-
ments. And I will pray the Father, and he shall give
you another Comforter, that he may abide with you
forever " — not a few years, as I have done, and then go
away — but " that he may abide with you forever: even
the Spirit of truth, whom the world can not receive,
because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him; but
ye know him; for he dwelieth with you, and shall be
in you.'' " These things have I spoken unto you,
being yet present with you. But the Comforter, which
is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my
name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all
things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said
unto you.'^ " But now I go my way to him that sent
me, and none of ye asketh me. Whither goest thou ?
But because I have said these things unto you, sorrow
hath filled your heart. Nevertheless I tell you the
truth : It is expedient fur you that I go away ; for if

CLEARNESS. 105

1 go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you ;
but if I depart, I will send him unto you. And when
he is come, he will reprove the vrorld of sin, and of
righteousness, and of judgment: of sin, because
they believe not on me ; of righteousness, because I
go to my Father, and ye see me no more ; of judg-
ment, because the prince of this world is judged. I
have yet many things to say unto you, but ye can
not bear them now. Howbeit, when he, the Spirit of
truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth ; for
he shall not speak of himself, but whatsoever he shall
hear, that shall he speak ; and he will shovv^ you things
to come. He shall glorify me ; for he shall receive
of mine and shall show it unto you."

There are many mysteries, my brother, which this
divine Teacher, the Holy Spirit, will never unlock
to us in this world, as declared in the last words that
fell from the lips of our ascending Lord. Out on
the Mount of Olives, " When they were come together,
they asked of him, saying, Lord, wilt thou at this
time restore acrain the kins^dom of Israel? And he
said unto them. It is not for you to know the times
or the seasons, which the Father hath put in his own
power. But ye shall receive power, after that the
Holy Ghost is come upon you : and ye shall be
witnesses unto me, both in Jerusalem, and in all Ju-
dea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part
of the earth." However numerous and dark the
mysteries that surround us in this world, the uner-
ring Teacher, sent from God, is present to instruct

106 THE MODEL PREACIIEE.

US in every thing necessary to our great work of
bearing the tidings of the Gospel to the " uttermost
part of the earth/'

In reading a book, have you not, my brother, often
said to yourself, " 0, I wish I had the author here to
tell me the precise thoughts he meant to convey by
this passage?" When reading the book of God,
just remember that the Author is present, and wait-
ing to give you all the instruction you need — to
tell you, as far as necessary, the precise meaning
he designed to convey when he first indited the
words, ''and guide you into all truth."

I am afraid we rely too much on the expositions
and opinions of men; rummage through a v/liole the-
ological library to find the meaning of some pas-
sage of Scripture, when right by our side stands the
original Author, waiting to explain it, and apply its
truth to our hearts; but we don't even csk his ad-
vice, or if we do, we go right off to something else,
and do n't wait to hear what he has to say on the
subject.

I think I have a due appreciation of our standard
theological works and commentaries. They are in-
valuable as helps to the study of the Scriptures, but
were never designed to supersede the daily teachings
of the Spirit. Learn all you can from books and
from living men, for God will not supply by the
Spirit what we may acquire by the natural force of
thought and application; but when you want light
on any vital, practical question, go into your closet

CLEARNESS. 107

and say, "0 my Father in heaven, thou hast prom-
ised to give the Holy Spirit to them that ask thee.
I beseech thee, for the sake of Jesus, to give mo
now thy Holy Spirit, to impart light and purity, that
I may fully understand and clearly present thy mes-
sage this day to dying sinners. 0 my Jesus, though
thou hast ascended to thy throne, and I can not look
upon thy face, as did thy disciples on the mount, and
hear from thy lips the things v.diich thou hast sent
me to proclaim ; yet I thank thee that thou hast
sent the Comforter. 0 divine Comforter, coequal
and cocternal with God the Father, and God the
Son, and equally interested in the redemption of the
world, I humbly beseech thee to ^open my under-
standing, that I may understand the Scriptures,' and
know definitely what thou dost mean by the words
of the message I am to bear to-day to my dying
brothers and sisters. I have consulted thy servants,
Dr. Clarke and Mr. Watson, and sought to know
this, but still my mind is dark. I will wait at thy
feet for the light of truth, and depend wholly on thy
presence and unction, when I stand before the peo-
ple to give it saving effect." For a clear under-
standing of the Scriptures, my brother, especially
in relation to all things experimental and practical,
rely mainly on the word itself, carefully examining
all its collateral revealings on the same subject, and
upon the unction of the Holy Spirit.

The neglect of this Divine unction will account,
mainly, for the want of point and clearne«s so

108 THE MODEL PTwEACnER.

manifest in much of the preaching of these days
I have a sad experience of my own on this subject^
and do not speak censoriously, but with all due re-
spect to the feelings of my brethren in the ministry,
and a just appreciation of their sincerity and use-
fulness.

How many sermons do we hear that are made up
of ambiguous words, general, abstract terms; some
quotations from the poets, which mean nothing in
that connection ; some pretty little poetic figures,
which represent no definite ideas ; some good Scrip-
ture quotations, repeated as commonplace phrase to
fill up and cover over the dry bones of the sermon-
ical skeleton. The whole performance is passed
through as a school-boy would repeat an old speech
he had learned, but could not understand.

But where is the point, the clearness, the unction,
the saving effect of such a sermon ?

In other cases when the forms of truth are exactly
in accordance with the word, and every point is
made to represent a definite idea, the minds of
preacher and hearers seem to take hold only of the
shadow, and not the substance.

There arc many preachers who search the Scrip-
tures daily, and make a thorough study of theology,
as a theory, and become very clear and expert in
"the letter," and yet seem to know but little of
"the power."

Such theology is something like the abstract science
of astronomy. The teacher gives out his lessons,

CLEARNESS. 109

which the pupils learn so well as to answer everv
question with ease and confidence. The science in
the book is brought fuUj to view in all its symmetrical
proportions. In the public examination the people
arc astonished at the expertness of the young astron-
omers. They can answer every question in the cate-
chism, and repeat a whole gospel from memory.
But take them out under the starry heavens, and ask
them to point out the planets, and they run to their
books, and point to their representatives on the map.
Ask them at noonday to point out the great center
of the solar system, and they open their books, and
point to a large white spot on the map, which they
call the sun. What! are the sun and the planets, with
other suns and systems of the visible universe, all
contained in a 12mo. volunae? Just as certainly
as that the Bible, which is the inspired word of God,
Contains the real "Sun of righteousness," with all
the grand laws and luminaries of which it treats.

The little book on astronomy is simply to teach us
about the heavens above us; so the Bible furnishes
the inspired lessons which are to mark out to our
view the spirituid heavens; not as a mere science
which we may study or not with impunity, but to de-
fine the way, and, by the appliances of Gospel grace,
prepare us for a flight far beyond the suns and sys-
tems of the material universe, up to the palace of God,
the home of redeemed and glorified souls.

Many good men, truly called of God to preach,
confine themselves mainly to an abstract Gospel,

11 0 THE MODEL PPvEACIlER.

which does but little execution among sinners, and a,s
little to edify the Church.

On the other hand, it is possible for an unconverted
man to preach many of the dogmas of leligion with
clearness and effect. But a man must be converted,
called of God to the work of the ministry, obtain a
clear understanding, not of the letter simply, but of
the spirit and power of the word, and act under the
unction of the Holy Ghost, as before shown, before
he can be "approved of God, a workman that necd-
eth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of
truth."

The necessity of all this preparation is clearly seen
in the light of St. Paul's exhibit of the various
branches of the great work to which the different
orders of ministers are called. Speaking of the gifts
of Christ to the Church, he says : "And he gave some
apostles, and some prophets, and some evangelists,
and some pastors and teachers." For what purpose ?
"For the perfecting of the saints." xih! what could
an unconverted man, or a superficial, abstract theo-
rist, do in such a work as that? "For the work of
the ministry" — the ministry of reconciliation to sin-
ners. "For the edifying of the body of Christ;"
building up the Church collectively. " Till we all
come;" the preachers certainly, but not them only,
but all the members of " the body of Christ." " Till
we all come in the unity of the faith, and cf the
knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man,
unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of

CLEARNESS. Ill

Christ: that we henceforth be no more children.

tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind
of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning crafti-
ness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive ; but speak-
ing the truth in love, may grow up into him in all
things, which is tlie head, even Christ: from whom
the whole body, fitly joined together and compacted
by that which every joint supplieth, according to the
effectual working in the measure of every part,
maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of
itself in love."

** 'T is not a cause of small import,
The pastor's care demands ;
But what might fill an angel's heart.
And filled the Savior's hands."

For the purpose of qualifying the embassadors of
Christ fully for this great work, they are generally,
if not invariably, led up in the order of providence,
like their Master, "into "the wilderness, to be tempted
of the devil.'' They thus obtain a practical knowl-
edge of all the modes of diabolic warfare, and a
thorough training in varied Christian experience, so
as to perceive clearly the condition of every variety
of case coming up in their ministry, and be enabled to
make a judicious application of Gospel remedies.

You should, my brother, so study the character of
the sinner, as delineated in the Bible and developed in
real life, as to be able to pursue him through all the
dark labyrinths of sinful thought and action — track
him to his den, and there pierce him through with the

112 THE MODEL PREACHER.

sword of the Spirit : ^' For the word of God is quick
and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword,
piercing even to the dividing asunder of the soul and
spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a dis-
cerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart." It
seems to me that a skillful swordsman, Avith such an
instrument as that in his hand, ought to do execution
every time. When you drive that sword into the con-
science of the sinner, do you expect to hear his shriek
of anguish then, or at some futui'e period? When
the wounded sinner comes to you crying, '^ Sir, what
must I do to be saved?" unless in the clear light of
experience you understand his case, and the remedy,
what could 3^ou do? You would be like a preacher
James Caughey tells about.

The preacher said to Caughey, "IVhy is it that
your preaching is attended with such stirring effects,
and I, preaching the same Gospel, see no fruit of my
labor?"

Caughey handed him one of his written sermons,
saying, ^'Read that to your people next Sunday, and
see what the effect will be."

The preacher read it to his congregation, and they
wept; and as he came down fi-om the pulpit a poor
weeping penitent met him, saying, '' 0, sir, what shall
I do ?"

"My dear friend,'' replied the preacher, "have 1
hurt your feelings? I ask your pardon, sir; I did
not mean to hurt your feelings."

What was St Paul's advice to the Philippian jailer?

CLEARNESS. 113

Did he say, " You have been a very bad man, sir, and
now you must reform and lead a new life. Here is a
copy of the holy Scriptures for you to read and
study. You must also pray in secret, and set up your
family altar, and pray for your neglected children,
attend the public means of grace, and let your pri-
vate life and your conduct toward the prisoners be
such as to show to the world the genuineness of your
repentance?" That is just the kind of advice many
modern teachers would give to such a case. Did St.
Paul give such advice? Not a word of it. He un-
derstood his business. He clearly perceived that the
poor jailer was pierced with the sword of the Spirit,
and was willing then to submit to any terms of mercy.
Submission to the will of. God is the end or object
of repentance. If the sinner, by the power of the
awakening Spirit, can reach that point by five minutes'
repentance, he is ready just then to receive mercy, as
much so as if he had repented five years. The apos-
tle, seeing that the trembling sinner had reached that
important point, would not trouble his head with ques-
tions and doctrines which would delay the onward
action of his penitent heart, or divert his mind from
the essential point already reached. Why turn his
feet right away from the gate of mercy, "to go
about" in the dreary paths of formality "to establish
his own righteousness," instead of at once submitting
himself to the righteousness of God — to God's
righteous method of saving the sinner by faith, with-
out works? It is not appropriate to talk to a criminal
10

114 THE MODEL PREACHER.

at the bar, under sentence of death, about his duties
as a citizen of the commonwealth. The first thing,
sir, is to have, if possible, the death sentence revoked
and the poor culprit restored to citizenship, and then
your advice about the relations and duties of life will
be apposite to the case.

St. Paul knew that the poor jailer's heart was cor-
rupt, and that ''a corrupt tree would necessarily bring
forth corrupt fruit." He knew that no works of
righteousness which he could ever perform would bet-
ter his condition a single iota. But he saw his will-
ingness at once to submit to the will of God — to give
up every thing opposed to his will — all sin — sins of
the life and of the heart, and acquiesce heartily in all
God's decisions concerning him, and hence directed
him at once to the great Physician who alone could
cure him, but who, in compassion, having anticipated
the peril of the jailer's soul, had already entered the
dungeon, and was waiting to save him. "Say not in
thy heart, Who shall ascend into heaven ? that is, to
bring Christ down from above; or, Who shall descend
into the deep ? that is, to bring Christ up again from
the dead." Doing and delaying are now out of the
question. But what saith it — what saith the Gospel?
The word is nigh thee — the word of life — the living
Jesus, whom we preach, and in whom we believe, is nigh
thee now. Dost thou not feel his awakening power in
^' thy heart," and express it by crying and praying with
"thy mouth?" Yes, my penitent brother, and he
loves you more than your mother ever did or ever

CLEARNESS. 115

can. A mothers love would save you if she had the
power; but, alas! poor mother has no povfer to save.
Jesus loves you with more than maternal tenderness;
even to the pouring out of his heart's blood for the
ransom of your soul ; and is able to save to the utter-
most all who come unto God by him. Can you not
intrust your soul and body in the care of such a
friend as that? Do you not now give your heart to
him? Do you not now confide in his mercy — his
saving merit? "Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ,
and thou shalt be saved, and thy house." He did be-
lieve, and his family also, and were saved; and the
whole of them were baptized and received into the
Church in that hour.

Then followed their good works, as the legitimate
fruit of their faith. He washed the wounds of the
persecuted preachers, " and set meat before them, and
rejoiced, believing in God with all his house."

I give this as a specimen of the clearness with
which the way of salvation is marked out to a peni-
tent sinner, according to the Gospel mode.

Many modern D. D.'s would put such a case as
that of the ungodly jailer under treatment for months
before they would consider his salvation practicable
or possible. Under the clear teaching of Jesus the
way was made so plain that the w^orst sinner in the
nation, who Vv-ould submit himself, had to cry for
mercy but once to obtain healing power for body and
.soul.

For example : " There came a leper to him,

116 THE MODEL PEEACIIER.

beseeching him, and kneeling down to him, and say-
ing unto him. If thou wilt, thou canst make mo clean."
Did Jesus tell him to go away and use certain cura-
tive remedies, and reform, and come again ? No, sir.
*'And Jesus, moved with compassion, put forth his
hand and touched him, and saith unto him, I will;
be thou clean. And as soon as he had spoken, im-
mediately the leprosy departed from him, and he was
cleansed."

CLEAENESS. 117

LETTER VII.

CLEARNESS— CONTINUED.

My Dear BROTnER,-^The Church may bo com-
pared to a great hospital for the treatment of sin-sick
souls, and a nursery for the development and training
of the babes in Christ. It contains cases of every
variety, from the soul covered with the leprosy of sin
up to the soul purified in the blood of Jesus, and from
the babe in Christ up to the " perfect man." You
■will require, my brother, a clear, experimental ac-
quaintance with God and his Gospel to enable you to
take charge of such an institution as this, and make
a judicious application of Gospel remedies, ''give to
each" an appropriate "portion in dae season," and
superintend all its departments of labor.

What would you think of the superintending phy-
sician of a hospital who should daily send in a box of
pills, to be given indiscriminately to all his patients,
and distribute his dietetics in the same way ? You
would think that quite as appropriate, I presume, as
for a minister, unacquainted wdth the power of Gos-
pel remedies and the condition and wants of his
patients and partially-developed Christians, to think
of healing and "feeding the Church of God" by
serving out to them, one day in seven, a dish of dry,
stale abstractions.

118 THE MODEL PREACnEE.

A good physician, sir, vvill tliorouglily test the na-
ture and power of his remedies, and before he applies
them, you 'will see him daily passing round among
his patients, saying to each one, "Let me feel your
pulse — put out your tongue." By a careful examin-
ation of their symptoms, he is prepared to judge what
kind of remedy is required to meet the wants of each
case.

A man might. have the eloquence of an angel, and
yet, unless he makes himself 'vvell acquainted with his
people, he will accomplish hut little good. The suc-
cess of any remedy depends on its application.
That requires not only an acquaintance with the
remedy, but also with the case to which you apply it.

Learn all ^'ou can from books, my brother, but keep
yourself well posted in the daily developments of hu-
manity around you, in the Church and out of it.
Learn to scan and to delineate character; ascertain
the soul's symptoms and wants, and give to each an
appropriate "portion in due season."

For example, when you find a soul groaning to he
"cleansed from all the filthincss of flesh and spirit,
and desiring to perfect holiness in the fear of the
Lord," do n't read to such a one a dr}^, dogmatical
essay on the subject, nor say to that struggling soul,
"Don't be discouraged, my sister; you have again
renewed your covenant with God. He v/ill carry on
the good work he has comm.enced in your heart.
Watch and pray much, read the Scriptures, attend
the means of grace, and live near to God."

CLEARNESS. 119

Such advice to such a ca^e appears so plausible,
d,nd contains so much that is good in itself, and,
withal, is so common, that it requires very clear spir-
itual discernment to detect the fatal error to which it
often leads.

That fatal old error which St. Paul so clearly ex-
posed, eighteen hundred years ago, is, in my opinion,
the most common practical error in the Church to-
day.

Says he, " Brethren, my heart's desire and prayer
to God for Israel is, that they might be saved. For
I bear them record, that they have a zeal of God, but
not according to knowledge. For they, being igno-
rant of God's righteousness, and going about to estab-
lish their own righteousness, have not submitted them-
selves unto the righteousness of God." This going
about to establish their own righteousness instead of
submitting themselves' to God's terms of salvation by
faith in Jesus, is not only common among penitent
sinners, but among all partially-developed Christians.

I will illustrate this by a part of the experience of
a friend of mJne. Brother W. was a zealous exhorter
in the Church; a young man of unblemished outward
deportment, and striving for high attainments in relig-
ious experience. But, said he, ''though I prayed
daily, ' Create in me a clean heart, 0 God, and re-
new a right spirit within me;' and though I had
many seasons of refreshing from the presence of the
Lord, I was, nevertheless, painfully convinced of a
sad want of conformity in my heart to the will of

120 THE MODEL PREACHER.

Christ. I knew that I had the leaven of saving
grace in my soul, for I had been clearly converted,
and had not backslidden for a day; but I found so
much of the unsanctified meal of ' carnal affections
and lusts' surrounding it, that I was often greatly
distressed about my state.

*' At every sacramental meeting, especially, I was in
the habit of entering into a careful examination of
my heart, and of renewing my covenant with God.
On those solemn occasions I would weep, confess, and
pray, saying, ^ 0 Lord, thou knowest that I desire to
love thee, but how cold and heartless have been my
efforts to serve thee ! I have done so little for him
who gave his life for me. 0 Lord, I am sorry for
these, my misdoings, and would repent before thee
in dust and ashes ; but, 0 Lord, I will do better. I
will pray more earnestly in secret, and fast more fre-
quently. I will study the Scriptures more diligently,
visit the sick more, be more liberal in distributing to
the necessity of saints, and live near to God.' I
felt some comfort in having renewed my covenant.
I had a beautiful plan laid out in my mind for holy
living, and looked forward to tlie fulfillment of my
voAvs, as the period when I would be brought into the
sweetest union with God. But one fortnight proved
to me that, while I kept up the form according to the
terms of my covenant, I had made no perceptible prog-
ress in the essential thing — inward, vital union with
God. I mourned over my barrenness cf soul, and
reproached myself for having fiilcd to keep my vow:^.

CLEARNESS. 121

Perplexed and confounded, I said, 'What shall I do?
I have renewed my covenant so frequently, and failed
to fulfill the spirit of it every time. I have broken
my vows so often, I am afraid to vow again, and
afraid not to vow — that would be giving it up. I
can't give up the struggle — I must try and save my
soul by the grace of God.' I finally made known my
case to my minister, who said, 'I wish all my mem-
bers were as good as you are. Those inward strug-
gles you speak of are the result of strong tempta-
tion from Satan. You are on the right track, broth-
er; go on, and the Lord will bless you. You '11 come
out all right, I warrant you.' I took courage, and
tried it again with greater earnestness — renewed my
covenant, and went through the same routine of out-
ward duties, with the same unsatisfactory result. I
worked hard enough, but it was like a horse in a tread-
mill— I made no real progress till I learned the more
excellent way of full salvation by faith, without works,
and yet a faith working by love, purifying my heart,
and manifesting itself in appropriate good works."

Brother W.'s case is by no means a rare one.
There are thousands of sincere servants of the
Lord, who have a zeal for God, but not accord-
ing to knowledge — having a small development of
saving faith, but trammeled and baflled in its ex-
ercise by a mixture of self-dependence. Why is
it that so many, after the struggle of years, still
remain in bondage? Not, to be sure, the bondage of

guilt and unpardoned sin, for I am not speaking

11

122 THE MODEL PREACHER.

ot lifeless, inconsistent souls, ttIio are trying to coast
along between religion and the world ; trying to main-
tain a peace with God, the world, the flesh, and the
devil. I have been describing such as have religion,
and have grown in grace to a degree which keeps their
consciences awake, and they are groaning for full re-
demption in the blood of Jesus, but still keep march-
ing round in the vrilderness, now by the Red Sea, then
lip by the thundering mountain, and over by the bor-
ders of Moab. God hath not forsaken them, for they
see the pillar of cloud daily, and have the guiding
light of the pillar of fire amid their darkness; but
still they do not march over and possess the promised
land of perfect love. What is the diniculty in such a
case ? I can tell you, my brother, as I have told you
before, when we used to talk on this subject in Califor-
nia, what was the difliculty in my case, for four years
after I obtained the pardoning mercy of God, and I
believe that to be the difficulty with thousands of such
as I have described.

Just at that point of humiliation, confession, and
the renewal of the covenant described in the experi-
ence of brother W., I have bent hundreds of times.

Right there at the mercy-scat where I wept and
vowed stood Jesus, bending in sympathy over me,
waiting to impart purity to my heart. It was his
presence, through his blessed Spirit working in me,
to will and to do his good pleasure, that wa,ked up
the struggle in my soul, but at the point of my sub-
mission to the will of God, where I should have

CLEARNESS. 123

believed — lifted, by faith, tlie flood-gate of my heart to
let the tide of purifying love flow in, I substituted a
fious voiv for believing. With a renewed covenant in
my mouth, I left the sacramental altar as weak as
when I approached it, and left Jesus standing there
with the blessing he held out for my acceptance still
in his hand — the very grace I needed to enable me to
do better, and without which all my promised works
of righteousness were utterly worthless.

When I bowed there at the feet of Jesus I ignored
all my past works as filthy rags, not current in the
spiritual kingdom at all; but what next did I do?
Why, in my renevred covenant, I solemnly promised
the Lord some more of the same sort, or, as I hoped,
an improved article ; but one week's effort proved to
me that they were of the same sort exactly. When
I again approached the mercy-seat I ignored the last
productions of the same sort, in their turn, and again
promised to do better.

0, how glad I was when the Lord in mercy revealed
to me that most plausible but deceptive error which
had made my way so hard, and had so long trammeled
my faith and involved my soul in a labyrinth of difii-
culty ! It was by no means a theoretical error — for I
repudiated the idea of salvation by works — but a most
subtile, practical error, which for years escaped de-
tection.

I then saw that I had been something like a man,
who, wishing to irrigate his meadow, and feeling the
importance of cutting ditches to convey the water to

124 THE MODEL PREACHER.

every part, spends all his time working in the ditches.
There he toils and sweats, working hard enough, to be
sure, to secure a great harvest of hay. The heat
and drought of summer almost wilt him, and his
grass dies. Poor fellow ! What ' s the matter ? Why,
to be sure, with all his nice ditches and good works,
he has omitted to lift the flood-gate and turn on
the water. That was the essential thing. The ditch-
es w^ere necessary, but of what avail were they
without the water? I saw that I had worked hard
enough, but had failed to lift the flood-gate by pres-
ent believing, and make a connection between my
thirsty heart and the purifying fountain. Then I ap-
proached the mercy- seat, and said, ''0 Lord, I have
been very unfaithful, and have long struggled to
make my case better, but can not. I have no con-
fidence in the flesh. I know that such is my utter
helplessness, and such is the power of the influences
of evil that surround and oppose me, that I will
never bo any better than I have been, nor do any
better than I have done, unless my heart is made
better. Unless the tree be good, the fruit can not be
good ; unless the fountain be clean, the stream must
remain impure. How is the motive fountain of my
heart to be purified? *Not by works of righteousness
which I have done,' or may hope to do, 'but through
thy mercy, by the washing of regeneration, and re-
newing of the Holy Ghost, shed on me abundantly
through Jesus Christ my Savior.'

"If by the renewing of the Holy Ghost, through

CLEARNESS. 125

the all- clean sing blood of Jesus alone, why not now ?
r am as good as I ever will be till thou dost apply
the blood, and cleanse me from all filthiness of the
flesh and spirit, and thus make me better. My vows
and pledges, looking to future fulfillment, are of no
avail; but the blood of Jesus is sufiicient, it covers
the case. I am my Lord's, and he is mine. I 're-
joice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the
flesh' — in nothing that I have done, or hope to do.
I am not ' sufficient of myself to think any thing,' or
do any good, ' as of myself, but my sufficiency is of
God.' 'I am crucified with Christ; nevertheless, I
live ; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me ; and the life
which I now live in the flesh, I live by the faith of the
Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.'
" The purity I have so long desired I find, not
imparted separately from Christ, but ' in Christ Jesus,
who of God is made unto me wisdom, and righteous-
ness, and sanctification, and redemption' — Christ in
the fullness of his saving mercy received in my con-
fidence and heart's afi'ections — * Christ in me the
hope of glory.'

' Every moment, Lord, I need
The merit of thy death.'

But, glory be to my present indwelling Savior !

* Every moment, Lord, I have
The merit of thy death.'

"I have nothing to expect from myself, or my
own works, past or future, but sin; not that I

126 THE MODEL PREACnER.

have any sympathy with sin — no, I hate it more
than I hate death — hut I know its deceitful power,
and my own utter impotency; but *I can do all
things through Christ who strengtheneth me.' "
Thus, my brother, you see I not only renounced all
inbred sin and the love of it, but was stripped of
all self-dependence, past and future. I threw all the
"filthy rags'" of my future righteousness into the
same pile with my past works, and gave them up
forever. Thus stripped of every dependence on the
arm of flesh, I threw my helpless soul and body on
the present all-cleansing virtue of the atonement.
Thus receiving Jesus in the fullness of his saving
power into my heart, and living " by faith in the Son
of God," I found but little difficulty in doing the
will of God in regard to outvy^ard works.

If we have the inward life of the Spirit, there will
always be an appropriate outward manifestation of
" the fruits of the Spirit," in word and deed. The
end contemplated, and vainly sought by vows, and
pledges, and renewed covenants, is thus eifcctively
secured by faith. " The just shall live by faith."

Nearly fourteen years of my eventful life have
passed since I learned the happy art of living by
faith. I then entered into the bonds of a new
covenant with God, not a covenant of vows and
pledges, looking to a future fulfillment of good
works on my part, but a covenant securing a pres-
ent crucifixion of wrong desires and vain hopes
of self-dependence — a present complete consecra-

CLEARNESS. 127

tion of mj ^11 to God — a present believing in a
present pui'ifjing Savior — a present experience of
that for which the apostle Paul so earnestly prays,
on behalf of the Hebrew Christians to whom his
epistle was addressed, saying, "Now the God of
peace, that brought again from the dead our Lord
Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep, through
the blood of the everlasting covenant, make you per-
fect in every good work, to do his will, w^orking
in you that Avhich is well-pleasing in his sight,
through Jesus Christ; to v/hom be glory forever
and ever. Amen."

I believe it to be essential, my brother, to clear-
ness in a Gospel preacher, and hence the duty of
every embassador of Christ, to enter into the light
described by St. John as the privilege of all Chris-
tians, when he says, " God is light, and in him is no
darkness at all. If we say we have fellowship
v/ith him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do
not the truth: but if we walk in the light, as he
is in the light, we have fellowship one v/ith anoth-
er, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleans-
eth us from ail sin."

I do not say that a minister should not preach
on a subject — say, for example, the subject of per-
fect love — unless by the light of the Spirit, in his
personal experience, it is entirely clear to his own
mind; for that is an important means of enlarg-
ing and clearing his views on the subject, and of
edifying others less thoroughly instructed, and in

128 THE MODEL PREACHER.

the act of imparting the light he has, the Holy
Spirit may reveal to him the things of God with
greater clearness than he could possibly obtain
while remaining silent on the subject.

Perfection of knowledge in this life is out of
the question. The wisest will know but in part.
We may never be able to preach the Gospel with
that clearness which characterized the preaching of
Jesus and his apostles. Still, our efficiency as Gos-
pel ministers will be in proportion, every thing else
being equal, to the degree of clearness with which we
perceive and present the truth.

EARNESTNESS. 129

LETTER YIII.

EARNESTNESS.

My Dear Brother, — The second characteristic of
the model which I propose next to illustrate, you may
remember, is earnestness, which is, in part, the re-
sult of clearness, and is an essential element of
power embraced in the Savior's model for Gospel
preaching — earnestness of soul, wrought up by a
realizing belief in the truth of God's word — a faith
which " is the evidence of things not seen," and by a
clear perception, through the unction of the Holy
Spirit, of the momentous realities thus revealed —
heaven and hell, with their inhabitants ; earth with its
candidates for both the upper and lower regions; the
essential and conditional causes on which hangs the
destiny of the millions of his kind, and the import-
ant part he, as an embassador of Christ, should act
in the drama of life, in saving souls from death, and
swelling the number of the blood-washed host.

As a minister of the Gospel, my brother, your
earnest zeal should embrace all that is contained in
the word philanih^opy , applied not only to the bodies
of men, but especially to their souls. Your heart
should be filled and thrilled with the undying love
of Jesus. *'For ye know the grace of our Lord
Jesus Christ; that, though he was rich, yet for your

130 THE MODEL P R E A C II E R .

sakes lie became poor, that ye, through his poverty,
might be rich." 2 Cor. viii, 9. " Let this mind be in
YOU, -which was also in Christ Jesus : who, being in
the form of God, thought it not robbery to be
equal." He could not err in his thoughts on the
subject, and hence was equal Vv^th God. *' But made
himself of no reputation, and took upon him the
form of a servant, and Avas made in the likeness of
men. And beinor found in fashion as a man, he
humbled himself, and became obedient unto death,
even the death of the cross.'"' The earnest love of
Jesus, which we are commanded to imitate, led him
not only to give up all his riches and become poor
for our sakes, but to assume our nature and endure
the death penalty in his ov>-n body, to save us from
death. When brought fully into sympathy with
Jesus in his yearnings for the salvation of the whole
world, your earnest love v»dll not be circumscribed
by any boundary lines of family, sect, state, or na-
tion. You will feel spiritually for the souls of the
perishing very much as did a company of persons
literally a couple of years since, for a man in peril
of life near Niagara Falls.

In the neighborhood of the Suspension Bridge the
people were startled by the dreadful cry, " Man in
Niagara ! man in Niagara !" The}^ ran from every
direction as the news spread, and crowding the
bridge and the adjacent cliffs, they eagerly inquired,
"Where is he? where is he?" "Poor fellow, he's
gone." Presently one cried, "See, see, yonder he is,

EAR N E S T N E S S . 131

hanging on a rock !'' pointing to a low, water-washed
rock, about sixty yards below the bridge, on the
American side. The same rock was pointed out to
me when I was there last summer. Kow the ques-

?"

tion was, " Can we save him? can we save him?

They immediately prepared a rope ladder, hoping
to be able to let it down within his grasp from the
top of the overhanging cliiTs, v/hich towered about
three hundred feet above the drowning; man.

In suspending and dropping the ladder it got
tangled, and hung on some bushes which grew out
of the crevices of the rocks. It vras a very doubtful
experiment, and the whole crowd, now numbering
several hundred, gazed in almost breathless sus-
pense.

Now the question was, "Who will go down and
clear the ropes, and try and save that man?" The
attempt was so hazardous that every one felt that it
was stakins; life for life.

But a stout, generous-hearted German butcher
promptly responded, '^ I '11 go down." He quickly
descended to the bushes, and hung some time among
the limbs clearing the ladder, but presently it
dropped all clear. Dovrn he vvx-nt to the sweeping,
boiling, thundering torrents beneath, oscillating and
circling from point to point, till finally he set foot
ou the rock beside the drowning man. Holding on
by one hand to the ladder, he with the other took
hold of the poor fellow, and assuring him with words
of comfort, prevailed on him to try to take hold and

132 THE MODEL PREACHER.

ascend the ladder. He could not carry him up. He
had brought the ladder to him, and could only help
him to get hold of it, and encourage him to climb
for life.

The fear was that he was too much exhausted to
climb, and to tie a rope round him, and haul him up,
would only be to drag his life out against the pro-
jecting rocks and snags. But he took hold, and,
after ascending perhaps one hundred feet, hung to
rest.

The whole company above trembled in an agony
of suspense, involuntarily crying, " Hold on, hold
on,'' but expecting every moment that his feeble
grasp would relax, and he drop down into the
sweeping currents, to rise no more.

But after a moment's rest, he ascended another
hundred feet and paused again. Now the multitudes
of sympathizing hearts beat more hopefully — the
noble butcher meantime steadying the ladder below.
A moment's pause, and up with fast-departing
strength he climbed, till within reach of some strong
arms above, which seized and drew him up.

The multitudes laughed, and cried, and shouted, and
in their eager joy carried him round on their
shoulders, repeating their shouts long and loud.

What distinguished man was he, to be sure, whose
peril could elicit sympathy so profound and so uni-
versal, and whose rescue caused such an overwhelm-
ing burst of gladness and joy? Bless your heart,
my brother, the question had never been mooted, nor,

EARNESTNESS. 133

as I sappose, had it entered the head of one person
present whether the man was a foreigner or a native-
born citizen, Whig, Eepublican, Democrat, Know-
Nothing, Catholic, or Protestant. No such question
thought of. He was a man, a living man in jeopardy.
That was enough.

Thus, my brother, should we and every one who
loves the Savior, feel toward every soul whom God has
made, since each one is so dear that " Jesus Christ by
the grace of Grod hath tasted death for every man."

Millions of our beloved race have fallen in the
Niagara of sinful life. They are daily borne down
by the fearful rapids, ingulfed in the thundering
cataract, and lost forever. If you will but look, you
will see many of them away beneath the cliifs, hang-
ing on to the slippery rocks which rise above the.
surface of the rolling tide, and among them are our
dear friends and kindred. Can we not save them?
Are there no means of rescue?

Thank the Lord, we have a Gospel ladder sure and
steadfast, prepared by sovereign Mercy to our hand.
The patriarch Jacob saw the upper end of it, and
informs us that "the top of it reached to heaven, and
the angels ascending and descending on it." You may
be sure its upper fastenings are secure, or they would
have found it out. The apostle Paul saw the lower
end of it, and assures us that it is Ions; enousrh to
reach down to the " chief of sinners " — the very
worst — to reach even to the rapids of the cataract of
death and the gates of perdition.

184 THE MODEL PREACH ER.

A coorcivc rescue is out of the question, and God
wants earnest souls who will, like my generous Dutch-
man, go down on this ladder, and persuade their dying
brothers to ''lay hold on the hope set before them."

Where are the men who will hazard their lives in
this work ?

Alarm cries and thundering anathemas alone are
not sufficient; smooth talk and fciir pretenses are of
no avail.

Go down, my brother, in the name of Jesus. When
you reach the fearful rock from which hundreds have
slid, and were '' drowned in perdition," hold on with
one hand to the Gospel ladder — for "he that standeth
should take heed lest he fall'' — and with the other
take hold of thy perishing brother. Show him his
danger and tell him hovf to escape. You will often
find such in despair, saying, '' 0, I can't rise. My
heart is so hard, I'm afraid there 's no deliverance for
me. If I climxb part of the way up and fall back, it
will be much worse for me than if I had not started.
I can't, I can't."

Say to that despairing soul, "0 yes, you can, for
the Lord will help you. I was lower down than you —
away down in the rapids — 'my feet were taking hold
on hell,' but the Lord helped me, and I was delivered
from the povrer of darkness, and translated into the
kingdom of God's dear Son."

I say to such, "My brother, when I was sinking
down, and thought all hope was gone, a poor collier
came down to me, and talked so sweetly about the

EARNESTNESS. 135

saving povrer and presence of Jesus, I was encouraged
to lay hold on the hope set before me.

"It was very hard at first, but I gained a little, and
tried more earnestly. Holding on, and climbing for
life, I cried to Jesus for help. ^I waited patiently
for the Lord, and he inclined his ear unto me and
heard my cry. He brought me up also out of a hor-
rible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon
a rock and established my goings. And he hath put
a new song into my mouth, even praise unto our
God."'

How anxiously I have watched the ascending prog-
ress of penitent souls, and when they reach the rock
of ages multitudes of sympathizing ones embrace them
and shout for joy. Angels catch the strain and bear
the news to their celestial home, and then the count-
less host of the redeemed repeat the shout, giving
glory to God. "For there is joy in the presence of
the angels of God over one sinner that repenteth."

The burning fires of holy ijatriotism should ever fill
the heart of God's embassador, and bear him on the
track of mercy and reconciliation by a kind of divine
steam power.

The patriot's creed is short and strong — "My coun-
try— my country's honor, the prowess of her arms,
the glory of her institutions, the sacred memory of
her heroes — my country and my people — the liberties
of my people.

" My country 's in the right, and the right I '11
maintain — my life is the wager — ^ Victory or death.' "

136 THE MODEL PRE ACHEE.

The philosophy of true patriotism is found in the
fact that the patriot's life had been previously conse-
crated by him to his cause — laid on the altar of his
country.

The illustrious signers of the Declaration of Amer-
ican Independence solemnly pledged to their coun-
try's cause, not only their property, their word and
sacred honor, but their lives. Life is the price and
insurance policy of true patriotism — all short of this
is spurious.

This is beautifully illustrated by the patriotism of
Arnold Winkelried, so familiar to every school-boy, as
set forth by that immortal bard, James Montgomery.

" At the battle of Lampach, A. D. 1315, between
the Swiss and Austrians, the latter having obtained
possession of a narrow pass in the mountains, formed
a serried phalanx with presented spears. Till this
was broken the Swiss could not hope to make a suc-
cessful attack. At last, Arnold Winkelried, leaving
the Swiss ranks, rushed upon the Austrian spears,
and receiving in his body as many points as possible,
made a breach in the line, which resulted in the com
plete rout of the Austrian army."

" ' M.'ikc way for Liberty !' lie cried;
Made way for Liberty, and died !
In arms the Austrian phalanx stood,
A living wall, a human wood !
A wall, where every conscious stone
Seemed to its kindred thousand grown ;
A rampart all assaults to bear,
Till time to dust their frames should wear

EARNESTNESS. ^ 137

A wood like tliat enchanted grove

In which, -with fiends, Rinaldo strove,

"Where every silent tree possessed

A spirit prisoned ia its breast.

Which the first stroke of coming strife

Would startle into hideous life :

So dense, so still the Austrians stood

A living wall, a human wood 1

Impregnable their front appears.

All horrent with projected spears,

Whose polished points before them shine —

From flank to flank a brilliant line —

Bright as the breakers' splendors run

Along the billows to the sun.

Opposed to these, a hovering band.

Contending for their native land ;

Peasants, whose new-found strength had broke

From manly necks the ignoble yoke,

And forged their fetters into swords,

On equal terms to fight their lords ;

And what insurgent rage had gained.

In many a mortal fray, maintained.

Marshaled once more at freedom's call.

They came to conquer or to fall,

Where he who conquered, he who fell.

Was deemed a dead or living Tell !

And now the work of life and death

Hung on the passing of a breath.

The fire of conflict burned within ;

The battle trembled to begin :

Yet, while the Austrians held their ground.

Point for attack was no where found.

Where'er the impatient Switzers gazed.

The unbroken line of lances blazed.

That line 'twere suicide to meet.

And perish at their tyrant's feet.

How could they rest within their graves,

And leave their homes the homes of slaves ?

12

138 THE MODEL PREACHER.

Would lliey not feel their children tread

With clanking chains above their head?

T. must not be : this day, this hour,

Annihilates the oppressor's power.

All Switzerland is in the field ;

She will not fly, she can not yield.

Few were the numbers she could boast.

But every freeman was a host.

And felt as though himf olf were he

On whose sole arm hung victory.

It did depend on one, indeed ;

Dehold him ! Arnold Winkelried !

There sounds not to the trump of fame

The echo of a nobler name.

Unmarked he stood am'd the throng.

In rumination, deep and long.

Till you might see, with sudden grace,

The very thought come o'er his face ;

And by the motion of his form

Anticipate the bursting storm ;

And by the uplifting of his brow

Tell where the bolt would strike, and how.

But 'twas no sooner thought than done ;

The field was in a moment won.

* Make way for Liberty !' he cried ;

Then ran with arms extended wide.

As if his dearest fi'iend to clasp ;

Ten spears he swept within his grasp :

' Make way for Liberty !' he cried :

Their keen points went from side to side ;

He bowed among them like a tree.

And thus made way for Liberty.

Swift to the breach his comrades fly :

'Make way for Liberty !' they cry.

And through the Austrian phalanx dart.

As rushed the spears througli Arnold's heart

While, instantaneous as his fall.

Rout ruin, panic, scattered all :

" EARNESTNESS. 13'J

An earthquake could not overthrow
A city with a surer blow.
Thus Switzerland again was free —
Thus death made way for Liberty."

The Captain of our salvation, whose love for the
justice and glory of the kingdom of God was equaled
only by his love for the enslaved human race, laid
down his life to redeem us from the curse of the law,
and to emancipate us from the slavery of sin and
Satan to the liberty of the sons of God.

He was a patriot and philanthropist of heaven's
own type. It was " for the joy that was set before
him" — the joy of redeeming the world — that "he en-
dured the cross." "He gave himself a ransom
for all."

" Down from the shining seats above.
With joyful haste he fled,"

made bare his own bosom to receive the steel that
must have sent the whole race quivering to hell with-
out remedy, and there in the bosom of the immaculate
Son of Mary the sword of Justice bathed itself in
the blood of the Son of God, till a sacrifice was
made which was as full an equivalent for all the ends of
the righteous government of God, as the execution of
the whole penalty upon the guilty.

" Here the whole Deity is known,
'Nov dare a creature guess
"Which of the glories brightest shone.
The justice or the grace."

140 THE MODEL PPtEACIIEE,.

St. John thus defines the spirit of Gospel patriot-
ism: "Hereby perceive we the love of God, because
he laid down his life for us : and we ought to laj
down our lives for the brethren."' 1 John hi, 16.

That was the true spirit of the martyrs, which is
but a participation of the self-sacrificing spirit of
Jesus, which every believer in him should possess.

The Church needs martyr spirits now as much as
she did when she first ran up her colors eighteen hun-
dred years ago. She then enlisted soldiers of the
cross with that distinct understanding.

St. Paul, urging the Church at Rome to a holy life,
argues that as they were baptized and received into
the Church as martyrs, they surely ought to live holy
while life was prolonged. "Know ye not that so
many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ vferc
baptized into his death ?" When they stood at the
baptismal altar, their very confession marked them at
once as victims of persecution and death, and in their
baptismal vows they not only renounced all sin, but
p)resented their "bodies a living sacrifice" on the
altar of God, to live or die for their crucified but
risen and exalted Savior. As St. Paul declares also
in his epistle to the Corinthians, " They were baptized
for the dead," to fill up the ranks of fallen martyrs,
and fall in their turn, should the glory of God, in the
spread of the Gospel, demand it, and thus they " stood
in jeopardy every hour." 1 Cor. xv, 30.

The patriot lays his life on the altar of his country
before he engages in the mortal struggle; so every

EARNESTNESS. 141

Christian should lay his life on the altar of the Gospel
which sanctified the martyrs.

Vfhether the patriot's life is actually taken or not,
does not affect the genuineness of his patriotism, nor
does that alternative affect the spiritual patriotism of
the Christian. Though St. John died a natural death,
he was doubtless as justly entitled to a martyr's crown
as St. Peter or Paul, or any others who poured out
their heart's blood on the altar of human redemption.

Nathan Coffin, a patriot of the American Revolu-
tion, when a prisoner of war on board a British
ship, and tempted by the highest offers to enter their
service, replied, ''Hang me to the yard-arm of your
ship if you will, but do not ask me to become a traitor
to my country." The incident came through Mr.
Coffin's grandson, C. 11. Marshall, Esq., of New York,
who recently gave a thousand dollars toward the
purchase of Mt. Vernon.

The history of the Revolution is full of illustrious
examples of patriotism, and such always command the
admiration of the world; but while national patriotism
bears a premium, at all times, in any market. Gospel
patriotism is "on change" in the world, and in the
Church militant, at a large discount. In the Church
triumphant it is always at par.

The name of Arnold the traitor is an infamous by-
word among the nations, intimately associated with
that of Judas, the betrayer of his Lord. But, in
these days, men in high places and low places, on
the walls of Zion, and down behind the walls, betray

142 THE MODEL PREACnER.

the Church, deny then' Master, "crucify the Son of
God afresh, and put him to an open shame," with
impunity, so far as their respectability in life is
concerned.

Having served in the Indian wars of the north-
west, you know more about the rigid discipline of a
soldier's life than I do, but from history I learn that
desertion has always been regarded as about the most
disgraceful act of which a soldier can be guilty.

I read some months ago of two deserters in the
U. S. Army, in southern California. The esteem in
which they were held in the army was exhibited in
the following manner: Their heads were shaved; the
letter T was branded on them with a hot iron brand;
a small bundle of provisions w^as put on the end of a
stick, which was placed across the shoulder of each,
and then, before the points of drawn bayonets, they
were marched beyond the encampment, accompanied
by the doleful notes of the " rogue's march," dis-
coursed by the drummers and fifers of the army.
They were thus " drummed out of the camp," and
dismissed.

How widely that differs from the " anathema mara-
natha" which the apostles pronounced on deserters
from the army of Jesus, I can- not tell. I can't say
that I admire the treatment of the two deserters
above referred to, but would certainly rather risk the
"rogue's march" than the "anathema maranatha.'*

I do n't mention these things to indicate what ought
to be inflicted on our modern deserters from the army

EARNESTNESS. 143

of Jesus, but simplj to illustrate the lo^y ebb to which
Gospel patriotism has fallen. How have our colors
been trailed in the dust, and the prowess of our arms
dishonored !

And yet soldiers of Jesus have the greatest stimu-
lus to patriotism of any other soldiers under the sun.
The usual stimulants to patriotism are, first, the
righteousness of its cause. Hence the leaders in
mortal combat always try to impress their soldiers
that the cause for which they fight is honorable, just,
and glorious.

The most desperate fighters have always been those
who make it a matter of conscience, and those who
believe that God or the gods approve their conduct,
and will give success to their arms.

You have heard of the old Quaker friend, who,
passing through a wood near Gen. Washington's
camp, on the eve of an engagement with the enemy,
found the old General behind a tree on liis knees.

He hastened home and said to his wife, " The army
of Washington will have victory to-day !"

'•How does thee know that?" inquired the good
matron. He replied,

"As I came through the wood I saw Washington
on his knees."

Washington not only had a God with whom to
plead on behalf of his country, but a cause he was
not ashamed to plead before him.

So Joshua turned the tide of battle against the
Amalekites, and swept them from the field, because

144 THE MODEL PREACHER.

lie iiacl right on his side, and because, on an adjacent
hill, Moses, the man of God, was kneeling, and
stretching up his hands in earnest prayer to the
great Arbiter of battles.

I suppose that no cause of carnal warfare has
arisen which may be legitimately set down as entirely
right, although the right may sometimes largely pre-
ponderate on one side or the other, nor can the final
results of such wars be known in advance.

But the cause of God and salvation, for which
soldiers of the cross contend, is wholly right — was
always right, honorable, and glorious; and however
long and apparently doubtful the contest may be, the
Lord's side will ultimately gain the victory.

The little stone which Daniel saw will roll on,
smiting and destroying every opposing force, till ^'it
shall become a great mountain, and fill the whole
earth." Our cause is not only a righteous one, but
He who bowed on the mount so frequently, while
sojourning amon^ men, is still praying for the success
of the arms of Israel. ^'He ever liveth to make
intercession for us."

Again: add to the conscious right of the soldier's
cause the evils to be averted or thrown off, and the
advantages to be gained.

"Soldier, what is your object in bearing arms?"
"To break the oppressor's yoke, and secure the liber-
ties of my people !" It was the combined power of
these two motives that roused the noble daring of
Winkelried.

EAE NEST NESS. 145

^Twas this spirit, my brother, that fired the patri-
otic hearts of our old grandfiither and his noble com-
peers in their deadly struggle for American inde-
pendence. These two mighty motive forces led the
patriots of the Revolution to mortal combat, nerving
their muscles to drive the steel with deadly effect,
and their hearts to receive it, and pour out their
blood on the altar of liberty.

It was this that stirred the great soul of Jonathan
to battle with the Philistine host. The utter degra-
dation and bondage of Israel at that time are clearly
set forth in a single paragraph by the sacred histo-
rian. "Now there was no smith found throughout all
the land of Israel; for the Philistines said. Lest the
Hebrews make them swords or spears: but all the
Israelites went down to the Philistines to sharpen
every man his share, and his coulter, and his ax, and
his mattock. So it came to pass in the day of bat-
tle, that there was neither sword nor spear found in
the hand of any of the people that were with Saul
and Jonathan : but with Saul and with Jonathan his
son was there found." Their enemies had taken
from them all their swords, and all their smiths, so
that they could manufacture no more.

But Jonathan surprised and took the old Philistine
garrison in Gibeah, and the tocsin of war was at
once sounded throughout Philistia: " And the Philis-
tines gathered themselves together to fight with Is-
rael, thirty thousand chariots, and six thousand horse-
men, and people as the saud which is on the sea

146 THE MODEL PREACHER.

shore in multitude : and they came up, and pitched in
Michmash, eastward from Beth-aven.

"When the men of Israel saw that they were in a
strait, (for the people were distressed,) then the peo-
ple did hide themselves in caves, and in thickets, and
in rocks, and in high places, and ih pits. And some
of the Hebrews went over Jordan to the land of Gad
and Gilead." There was a general stampede of the
soldiers and civilians all together, so that Saul had
left to oppose this innumerable host, standing army,
volunteers and all, six hundred poor fellows, " who
followed him trembling," and but two swords in the
army.

Jonathan and his armor-bearer withdrew from the
little trembling band to prepare for battle. I have no
doubt that Jonathan found a secret place among the
rocks, where he bowed before God under the burden
of his country's woes and prayed, by the greatness
and goodness of their patriarchal fathers and the
prowess of their arms, by the prosperity and liberty
of past years, by the penitential grief of his peo-
ple for the sins which had brought on them such
calamities, by the honor of God as the Lord of Is-
rael's hosts, by the absolute slavery of his people
and the overthrow of the altars of God, by the pres-
ent impending storm of war, especially by the prom-
ises of God that though his people might sin, yet
ypon repentance he would be gracious and deliver
them from their enemies. Jonathan importuned till,
by the righteousness of his cause, and the belief that

EARNESTNESS. 147

God was on his side, he conceived the daring design
of attacking the Philistine host alone, lay himself with
his faithful armor-bearer on the altar of his country,
and conquer or die.

" And Jonathan said to the young man that bare
his armor, Come let us go over unto the garrison of
these uncircumcised: it may be that the Lord will work
for us : for there is no restraint to the Lord to save
by many or by few. And his armor-bearer said unto
him, Do all that is in thy heart : turn thee : behold I
am with thee according to thy heart." Earnest, no-
ble, godly patriots were these. Their faith and cour-
age were owned of God — the hosts trembled, the
earth quaked, panic and dreadful slaughter ensued,
the field was swept, and the yoke of bondage broken.

Saul, meantime, was puddering round the ark of
God, and consulting a priest to know what he had
better do.

The Church has always been burdened with these
formal, poking souls, who are always behind the
times, expecting God to do his business by their
stereotyped modes; and when, through some earnest
Jonathan, he gives to the Church a great victory,
then they come in to share the spoils, and mar the
work by their unreasonable dictation and burdens,
and Jonathan must be slain if he does not conform
to the letter.

Why may we not have the patriotism of Jonathan
infused into all the captains and soldiers of the
militant Church ? We have an infinitely more glori-

148 TUE MODEL PREACHER.

ous altar on which to offer our lives, greater evils to
avert, greater achievements to gain — victory and re-
ward immutably certain.

The history of the militant Church furnishes illus-
trious examples of that earnestness which the im-
portance of the work demands ; but why can we not
have them multiplied ? Look at Moses " in the
breach." Look at Aaron running out into the congre-
gation to meet and arrest the fatal plague, or fall
with his people. The plague was staid, and there
stood the man of God on the line between the living
and the dead. Look at the God-man drinking the
poison-cup of death to secure for us "the cup of sal-
vation." "We have an altar," which was sanctified
and honored by the offering up of the body of Christ
upon it. It was the early martyr's glory to die on
that altar. St. Paul hailed the opportunity with
gladness, saying, " I am now ready to be offered, and
the time of my departure is at hand. I have fought
a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept
the faith : henceforth there is laid up for me a crown
of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous
Judge, shall give me at that day : and not to me only,
but to all them also that love his appearing."

How this glorious reward contrasts with that of the
poor soldier who falls in mortal combat ! He gets a
hole shot through his body, the burial of an ass, his
name spelled wTong in the papers, a small pension
for his poor family, and, in too many cases, alas!
gets his poor soul into perdition.

EARNESTNESS. 149

Saving souls, mj brother, is the greatest business
iu this world, and I doubt if God has for us a more
glorious work in heaven. Think of the priceless
value of a soul. Think of the horrors of hell, of the
joys of heaven, the ministration of express angels,
who bear our war dispatches daily to headquarters,
and to all the family in heaven. Think of the Cap-
tain of our salvation at the head of the army in
every engagement, looking to see us do our duty.
Should we not be in earnest, my brother? The
great Teacher was sociable, affable, kind, very affec-
tionate to the little children, but always in earnest.

150 THE MODEL PREACHER.

LETTER IX.

NATURALNESS.

My Dear Brother, — The third characteristic of
the great Teacher's model which I desire now, by the
help of the Holy Spirit, to illustrate, is naturalness,
which is an element of power quite as essential to
success as clearness or earnestness — naturalness in
opposition to affectation ; in opposition to monoto-
nous sameness, and to a stiff, formal style.

The thoughts of the mind, the emotions of the
soul, the intonations of the voice, are all characterized
by the same variety that marks all God's works in
the kingdoms of nature, providence, and grace.

There is such harmony in nature, such an adapta-
tion of nature in all its variety to the demands and
tastes of the human mind, that every object in nature
is to us a matter of interest; even the gnarled oak is
an object of interest. We watch its growth, and see
how it struggles to recover itself from the injuries it
received when but a sapling or a sprig.

The song of birds, the murmur of the stream, the
roar of the water-fall, the varieties of the landscape,
the welcome sunlight of early morn, every thing in
nature so addresses itself to the eye, the ear, the
head, the heart, as to arrest attention, excite feeling,
and impart instruction.

NATURALNESS. 151

The natural, easj attitudes of the human form, the
natural expressions of the human face, the spontane-
ous, unrestrained manifestations of the thoughts of
the mind, and the soul's emotions, all come under this
rule, but should exceed, in interest and attractiveness,
every other department of nature, as far as its supe-
riority rises higher than any other variety or form of
nature.

If a man has an interesting story to tell, has it
clear in his mind, has his own heart's emotions stirred
with it, and will tell it naturally — that is, let the
spontaneous intonations of his voice express the vari-
ety of his own thoughts and feelings on the subject —
1 '11 warrant you he will arrest attention, impart not
only his thoughts, but his emotions, waking, stirring,
and interesting his hearers.

Another man just his opposite, as far as possible,
in every thing, size, gesture, tone of voice, manner
of thought and expression, yet, if he is a man of
equal force, and has a story to tell of equal interest,
and will conform to the same rule of naturalness, he
will arrest attention, and make as marked an impres-
sion as the other.

But if they depart from this rule, and try to imitate
each other, or any body else, each will make a fool of
himself; exciting in the minds of their hearers disap-
pointment and sorrow, or contempt, according to
their disposition toward them. A preacher, for ex-
ample, who tries to imitate the style of Bishop Simp-
son, or any other distinguished orator, descends from

152 THE MODEL PKEACIIEll.

the dignity of an original, attractive man, as God has
made him, to the grade of a four-footed animal, if not
one of the long-cared tribe, one at least not more re-
spectable and less useful — naniplj, an ape. If the
imitation be voluntary, it is contemptible ; if involun-
tary, it is pitiable ; in either case fatal to eiiectiveness
for good.

Many causes contribute to an unnatural, monoto-
nous, stiff stjde, some of which I will mention :

1. A want of a just appreciation of our own natu-
ralness, as an essential element of power in public or
private discourse.

2. A want of clearness as to the matter of dis-
course, or suitable language in which to express it,
which leads to confusion and embarrassment.

3. A want of emotion on the part of the speaker,
either because he has nothing worth communicating,
or is so indifferent in regard to it that it fails ta
wake his own emotions, and must, therefore, fail to
awake the emotions of his hearers.

4. The adoption and imitation of an absurd, falla-
cious standard of oratory, embracing, as its leading
excellences, beautifully-rounded periods and a higlily-
WTOught, ornate style, in tones of lofty declamation,
such as some may imagine that Cicero or Demosthe-
nes may have employed. The test of true oratory is
found in the hearts of the hearers, and not in their
ears alone.

Persuasive speaking, that imparts light to the un-
derstanding, conviction to the conscience, emotion to

NATURALNESS. 153

the heart, enabling the speaker to cause the thoughts
and feelings of his audience to flo-sv freely into the
various channels of interesting reflection which his
subject may open before them — that is eloquence,
Y/hether the speaker be man, woman, or child.

5. A servile fear of violating some favorite stand-
ard in the minds of critical hearers, which restrains
the spontaneous expressions of the speaker's thoughts
and feelings, and results in stiifness and embarrass-
ment.

6. Nearly allied to this is a want of confidence and
self-possession on the part of the speaker, arising
from constitutional or habitual bashfulness, or igno-
rance of his own power, or ignorance of his subject
of discourse, or fear to encounter the prejudices or
criticisms of his hearers, or conscious inability to
carry the stronger intellects of his audience. Self-
conceit — an overestimate of one's power — what is
vulgarly known as the "big head" — is fatal. Solo-
mon says "there is more hope of a fool than of
him."

7. The usual modes of declamation practiced in our
schools and colleges have a great deal to do in creat-
ing the stiif, straight-jacketed, formal declamation
of the times — most unnatural and inefficient.

8. Many good ministers, in the manifestation of
their earnestness, "run off in the gears," and spoil
their naturalness. They shoot up like a balloon
about an octave, above their ordinary tones, and swing,
and sweat, and harp there on one key, dropping per-

154 THE MODEL PREACHER.

haps a tone at the close of each sentence. The au-
dience loses sight of the subject through their excited
fears that the man will "burst a boiler," and expire.
Finally, with a shattered, squeaky voice, he takes his
seat, and the fears of the audience give place to their
rising hopes that their dear preacher, having again
run the gauntlet, has escaped without any serious in-
jury to himself.

If any man wishes to test the unnaturalness of
such a performance, just let him go into the parlor
of one of his intelligent parishioners, and repeat the
same thing there in his domestic circle. Before he is
half through, his parishioner will beg him: "0, sir.
if you please, that will do ! that will do ! I under-
stand it all ; do, 0 do quit !"

I speak of this matter in all seriousness, my
brother, for it is a very serious matter, involving the
destiny of deathless souls, but I speak advisedly from
what I have felt, seen, and heard on the subject, for
I have had a sad experience in this matter. This
style, however, is greatly superior to a prosy, phleg-
matic style, deficient both in sense and sound, for the
former often embraces, in a good degree, the two
first essential elements of power of which I have
spoken, and hence is frequently very effective.

If, however, their naturalness was equal to their
clearness and earnestness, the good effect would be
doubly great.

I sincerely sympathize with my dear brethren,
who from long habit find themselves unable to

NATURALNESS. 155

break the cords of a strait-jacket, the tram-
mels of which they have long felt and deplored.

We can not fully appreciate or know that perfection
of naturalness exhibited in the great Teacher's intona-
tions and action, and yet the fact that the popular
masses, the most illiterate as w^ell as the most learned,
were so carried away by his eloquence, even the little
boys and girls could understand him, and shouted
*'hosanna" under his preaching, and the fact that
his social qualities w^ere so remarkable, causing him
to mix freely with all classes, embracing the children —
all these, together with the transparent simplicity
and naturalness of his discourses recorded in the
New Testament, go to prove clearly that perfect nat-
uralness was a prominent characteristic of his minis-
trations. It is still an essential element of power in
any kind of speaking, in the pulpit or out of it.

I do not mean to say, my brother, that Ave should
not correct any natural awkwardness or defects in
nervous, muscular, and vocal action, nor that we
should not improve them.

Our muscles, nerves, and vocal powers, in reference
to style of delivery, are as susceptible of education
and require it as much as any other function of the
physical and mental constitution ; but the true idea of
education in regard to any or all of these, does not
consist in stuffing and stereotyping them, according
to some fixed standard, but in their development, in
all their native simplicity and originality of strength
and variety.

156 THE MODEL PREACHER.

By naturalness of delivery, adapted to the pulpit
or the platform, I do not mean a colloquial style
alone. It embraces that, but much more.

The human voice possesses wonderful compass and
variety of tone, adapted to the expression of all the
variety of the heart's emotions. Every variation of
thought and of feeling, from the ripple of the rill up
to the thunder of the cataract, has its appropriate
tone, varying from the soft whisper of secret confi-
dence and the sweet call of the fond mother, '^ Come
here, my little Johnny, come to ma," up to the
scream of sudden horror, the shriek of wild despair,
the trumpet command, and the thunder of defiance.

If the speaker possess the emotions in his own
heart, let him give them out in their appropriate
tones to the life. If he does not possess them, he
need not try to impart them.

I remember one night, nearly ten years ago, in
San Francisco, when water was v%'orth a shilling per
pail, having previous permission, I went to a neigh-
bor's well for a bucket of water. I pumped away for
a minute, but no water came. I went at it again
with more earnestness of efibrt to make it come, when
I heard the good lady of the house, who did not
know that she was talking to her minister, exclaim
in a most authoritative tone, " Let that pump alone !
The- water is all out of the well, and you '11 spoil the
pump." If there is no water in the well, no emotion
in the soul, you had better let the pump alone till tbo
■water rises.

NATURALNESS. 157

A man can not speak with naturalness unless he
has yomething to saj, and feels it in his own heart.
A man getting up simply to say something, is not
likely to speak with interest or advantage to his
hearers or himself.

Do not think, m.y brother, of trying to interest an
audience with any thing that you could not tell with
interest to one man. That is a very good rule of
testing your preaching matter, which has been prac-
tical in my experience for years.

Any dry arrangement that would be a bore to one
man, will be no better when preached to a thousand,
and a style that would not please and entertain one
man, will be but little better suited to the mass.
But for the fact that custom has so long sanctioned
the stiff, unnatural style so common, the people would
not endure it. Yet that is one principal reason why
we so often preach to empty seats.

Let the subject-matter of your discourse, together
with your arguments, illustrations, and points of ap-
plication, be clear in your own mind. Let your heart
be burdened and thrilled with its importance ; claim
the promised presence of Jesus ; arise before your
audience with the conscious fact in your heart, " I am
an embassador of Christ, sent to treat with dying,
eternity-bound souls : upon the effect of my message
to-day hangs probably the destiny of more than one
of my hearers. 0 Jesus, hast thou not sent me?
Am I not ^teaching them to observe all things what-
soever thou hast commanded?' Thou wilt be with

158 THE MODEL PREACHER.

me according to thy promise. Holy Spirit, thou wilt
attend thine own truth. I can not sound the depths
of the heart. I can not turn the tide of depravity
in the sinner's heart. Thou alone canst do the work.
I will by thy grace do the best I can, and leave my-
self, my cause, and my people in thy hands."

Having thus, my brother, invoked divine aid, then
talk to the mass as you would talk to one man ; speak
with sufficient volume of voice and distinctness to be
heard by all. You instinctively know the elevation
of voice necessary to reach every ear in your audi-
ence. When speaking to a man at your side you
know how loud to speak ; so when speaking to a man
across the street you by instinct know the volume of
voice necessary to reach him, and you speak to him
as naturally as to the man by your side.

The ease and clearness with which you can be heard
depend as much upon the distinctness and emphasis
of your pronunciation as upon the volume of your
voice. Each syllable should be pronounced distinctly;
not in a slow, measured, stiff style, but with the ease
and naturalness of familiar conversation. Your em-
phasis, especially, should be clear and distinct. You
can not make every word in a sentence emphatic,
much less all the words in a discourse.

In emphasizing all, you destroy the entire effect of
emphasis — you have a picture all light or all shade,
that is no picture at all. Emphasis pertains espe-
cially to words and syllables.

Each word representing a new or an additional idea

NATURALNESS. 159

in the sentence is, upon its introduction into the dis-
course, an emphatic word. The same word repeated
in the same connection is not emphatic. If you re-
peat it in connection with a qualifying word, designed
to add force to the thought, then the emphasis will be
on the qualifying word — adjective or adverb, as the
case may be.

In listening to children and half-tamed savages, you
will find that they, so far from emphasizing little con-
nectives and unimportant words, frequently leave
them out altogether, giving simply the emphatic
words.

Words and syllables not emphatic should only re-
ceive stress of voice sufficient to make them heard,
and should be pronounced more rapidly than the em-
phatic ones. You make a word or syllable emphatic,
not only by the force of voice you give it, but by the
time you give to its pronunciation, with a short pause
both before and after it. These suggestions apply
alike both to speaking and reading.

I have but little to say in regard to gestures, only
do not make too many, and try to correct any awk-
ward habits of gesture into which you may have fallen.
Gestures should not be employed to cover over your
poverty of thought and want of emotion, but should
follow as the result of burning thoughts and emotions
struggling for utterance, not only by the voice, but
by the light and shade of the countenance, the flash-
ing of the eye, the attitudes of the body, and action of
the limbs.

160 THE MODEL PREACHER.

In giving yonr own thoughts and feelings consult
your native instincts, and give them to the life, in all
simplicity and naturalness.

In representing the thoughts and emotions of oth-
ers, try to bring yourself fully into sympathy, both
in thought and emotion, with the originals you wish
to represent, and give them, as far as practicable, in
their own words, and in tones and gestures to the life,
such as we would naturally conceive the originals
would employ. To do this successfully a man must
be thoroughly acquainted with his subject.

Any common school-boy can commit an old speech
and repeat it from memory, according to the ordinary
standard of declamation, but to conform to the law of
naturalness to which I refer, a man must be " master
of his art." I do n't mean that a man must be per-
fect in it before he can attain to great usefulness by
it; and yet his success, every thing else being equal,
will be in proportion to his conformity to this law. 1
am not sure that we have had a perfect master in it
since the days of Jesus, though a great many are per-
fect beyond the detection of ordinary hearers. So
fixr as I am concerned, though I think I have a clear
ideal of it, yet, as it regards my own progress in it, I
feel something like Sir Isaac Newton felt in regard to
his scientific attainments, when he said, " I am like a
child gathering up pebbles along the shore, while the
great ocean of truth, unexplored, is spread out be-
fore me."

A minister said to me, not long since, ^' There is no

NATURALNESS. 161

such thing as naturalness. We are all imitative be-
ings. Our first acts of volition are acts of imitation,
and we go on from that time in the same way. If
there is such a thing, where shall we find a standard
by which we may know what is natural and what
is not?"

I admit that, masked and trained by the rules of
etiquette, as much as humanity is, it would be very
difficult to find much naturalness in '' polite society."

A minister, by invitation, went to dine with a gen-
tleman who lived in a mansion, and had every thing
about him in great style.

Soon after the preacher was seated, he incidentally
heard the lady of the house, whom he had not yet
seen, talking to her husband in another room, and
saying, ^'I'll teach you how to bring a strange
preacher here without giving me due notice! You
know better than that. I've not prepared a dinner
for strangers to-day, and there's no time now to pre-
pare it, and I wouldn't do it if there was. I'm
ashamed of you for such conduct, and I want you
never to be guilty of the like again."

The curtain lecture, which was distressingly natural,

closed, and soon after the same lady, splendidly

attired, was introduced to the preacher, saying, as she

bowed gracefully, ''I am delighted to see you, sir. I

have heard my dear husband speak of you so often,

that I felt that I was acquainted with you before, and

now it is with unfeigned pleasure that we welcome you

as our guest."

14

162 THE MODEL PREACHEE.

To find a standard of naturalness by which to un-
learn the stiff, unnatural modes we have acquired by
habitual imitation, we have to go back to our starting-
point in life, and take lessons from the children, and
from the undisguised and unrestrained manifestations
of thought and feeling as furnished in the ordinary
walks of life.

Look and listen at the naturalness of the little boys
and girls in action, intonation, emphasis, every thing.
Hear one relate the story of an exciting scene which
he has just witnessed; he will scarcely misapply a
tone. He will put the emphasis, in most cases, just
where it ought to be. When he comes to a very em-
phatic point he will pause, according to the rule before
indicated, as if to select a word strong enough, and to
"gather a head" of breath and emotional power to ex-
press it, then pause again, and proceed with his nar-
rative in a softer tone till he comes to another em-
phatic point. His ideas may be very erroneous, but
his conceptions of what he wants to say are clear, and
his earnest little soul is filled with the subject. He has
clearness, earnestness, and naturalness; he is an orator.

I took a little girl of four summers on my knee, a
few days ago, and having so commended myself to
her good feelings, that she felt quite at home in my
company, I said to her, "I liad a sweet little girl
once, and called her Oceana, because the Lord gave
her to us away out on the ocean. She was a very
pretty little girl. The Lord loved her, and took her
up to heaven to live with Jesus."

NATURALNESS. 163

"Did you tell lier she might go?" inquired little
Alia.

She afterward frequently said to me, " I 'm going
to live with Jesus too, when I die, and I '11 see your
little girl up there, won't I?"

At the tea-table she again introduced the subject,
saying, "Your little girl went up to heaven to live
with Jesus, didn't she?"

"Yes, Alia, she went to live with Jesus," I replied.

" Yes," continued she,. " Mr. Jesus come out to the
fence when he saw her coming, and stood and looked
till your little girl got up close, and said, ' Come in,
my little girl, come in.'"

When my little Charlie, four years old, w^as nearly
dead with the small-pox, he would frequently wake
me during the night to pray for him, saying, "Pa, pa,
won't you tell the Lord to please to make me well?"

I would then tell the Lord to pity my dear boy and
make him well.

"I'm glad that Jesus died for sinners, an't you pa?"

Wearied with watching — for I nursed him day and
night for nearly a month, and was sick with varioloid
at the same time, myself — I would soon fall asleep
again, but the sleepless little sufferer would soon
wake me up, saying, "Pa, pa, won't you tell me how
to pray to the Lord to make me w^ell?"

"Yes, my dear boy, the Lord loves you, and he is
listening, and I '11 tell you what to say to him."

He then repeated after me a little prayer adapted
to his case.

164 THE MODEL PREACHER.

Then said he, ''Pa, if the Lord loves me, why
do n't he make m.e well ?"

"I think, my dear boy, he will make you well. If
fie do n't he will take you up to live with the angels,
and with your little brothers, and your little sister
Oce, where you '11 never get sick any more. But I
think he will make you well."

"Well, pa, y>'hen do you think he will make me
well?"

" In about two w^eeks."

"How long is two weeks?"

Then I counted the days in the week and explained.

"0," said the little fellow, "I do wish He would
make haste."

"During the prevalence of yellow fever in New
Orleans last summer, a gentleman was walking out
Spruce-street, in that city, and saw a little boy lying
on the grass with a raging fever. He shook him and
said, 'What are you doing here, my boy?'

" 'I'm waiting for God to come and take me,' re-
plied he. 'What do you mean?' inquired the gentle-
man.

"'God took away my father and mother, and my
little brother; and mother told me to .look to God,
and he would take care of me. I have been lying
out here all night and all day, looking up in the sky
for God to come and take me. He has not come, but
he will come, for mother said so, and mother never
told a lie. He will come, won't he ?'

"The man, now moved to a flood of tears, said,

NATURALNESS. 165

*Yes, my son, God has sent me to take you, and I'll
be a father to you.'

" ' You were a long time on the way, but I know'd
that mother would n't tell a lie, and God has sent
you.'"

I give these incidents, my brother, to convey to
you an idea of the simplicity of matter, and not the
manner of little children; that you will find out by
observation.

You will learn among the children, and in the
unrestrained walks of life, in doors and out, and
among the suffering in hospitals and prisons, what
the simplicity of nature is, and by diligent study and
practice, you will be able to shake off the trammels
which imitative habits have fastened upon you; and
by attention to your own instincts, and the dictates
of common-sense, you will not only get back into
harmony with nature in this regard, but may so edu-
cate your nerves, muscles, and vocal powers as to
employ them naturally and effectively.

When this habit of naturalness is formed, its spon-
taneous manifestation will be such as to require but
little attention, except to the subject of discourse.

A minister once said to me, " I am afraid to adopt
the natural style lest my preaching should be consid-
ered common talk, unsuited to the dignity of the
pulpit."

One said to me not long since, " The Gospel is a very
solemn thing, and should be preached in a very
Bolemn and dignified manner."

166 THE MODEL PREACIIEIl.

"A stiff, affected, unnatural stjic," I replied, "is
inconsistent Yvitli the dignified solemnity and honest
simplicity of the Gospel."

Dignity and solemnity, my brother, do not consist
in big "words, highly-^vrought, ncatlj^-rounded sen-
tences, and measured cadence.

When brother and sister K., of San Francisco,
learned that their little boy, an only child of five
years, was missing, they inquired, " Where was ho
last seen?"

Sister K. said, "He went out at the back door
but a few minutes ago. 0, I 'ra afraid he has fallen
into the bay !"

Away they went inquiring of the neighbors, "Did
3^ou see our little boy ?"

No tidings to comfort the anguished hearts of the
fond parents.

They were seen all that day searching along the
wharves, wringing their hands in despair, the mother
repeating in tones that caused the sturdy sailors to
weep, " 0, my dear child ! my dear little boy is gone !
0 that I could see him once m.ore ! Even if he is
drowned, it would be such a comfort to see him ! 0,
to think of my dear little boy being eaten up by th,e
sharks ! 0, if I could only see him and kiss his mar-
ble brow, and bury him where I could visit his grave,
plant sweet flowers on it, and water them with my
tears ! 0, my child, my dear little boy!"

Late that evening some boatmen picked up the
body of the drowned boy in the bay, and returned it

NATURALNESS. 167

to Ills motlier. The next day I laid liis little body in
its last resting-place in Yerba Buena cemetery. That
'\vhole scene involved great solemnity, but no big
words nor stately display.

Henry Helmcamp, an Lonest shoemaker, living in
Terro Haute, Indiana, while at vvork a few weeks
since, was startled by the roll of the well windlass,
which was immediately followed by the shrieks of his
wife, ''0! 0! Lizzie's in the well! 0, Henry!
Henry !" and fainted.

The half-frantic father ran to the Vfell and called,
*' Lizzie, Lizzie, my dear child, are you yet alive ?"

The well was sixty feet deep, containing ten feet
of Avater.

He listened and heard her struggling in the water,
and immediately seizing the well-rope, descended as
fast as the laws of gravitation would carry him.

He said to me afterward, " As I v/ent down, I felt
the well-rope burning and tearing the flesh off my
hands, and felt as though I must let go and fall, but
the thought immediately struck me, 'You'll fall on
your child and kill her,' so I held on."

Strange as it may appear, Lizzie, who was nine
years old, was but little hurt. He tied her in the
bucket, and she vras drawn up. He then tied a rope
round his own body, and his neighbors drew him up.
The palms of his hands Vfere burnt and torn off to the
bone.

"0 dear, Mr. Helmcamp," said his friends, ''your
hands are ruined !"

168 THE MODEL PREACHER.

*' Never mind my hands," replied he. " Thank God,
I saved my child." There Avas solemnity and dig-
nity too, but no big words nor pompous display, such
as many would consider appropriate to the pulpit.

This .same brother H., when connected with a fire
company in Philadelphia, ran on one occasion to a
great fire, and learned that in the third story of a
building in flames, there was a child whose parents
were absent at some public meeting in another part
of the city. The second story floor had already
fallen.

He hastily ascended a ladder to the third story
window, and rushing in through smoke and flame,
snatched from its bed the baby girl. Just as he got
out on the ladder with the child in his arms, the walls
fell in, but at the moment of the general crash, the
noble vigilants below drew the ladder up and held it
in a perpendicular line, while the rescuer deliberately
descended to the ground with the babe unhurt.

The mother, who knew nothing of all this, soon
after returned, and seeing the flaming ruins of her
house, screamed in wildest frenzy, " 0 my babe !" and
fell apparently dead.

When she recovered her child was placed in her
arms. She pressed it to her bosom, laughing, crying,
and shouting, in a rapture of gladness. This scene
was solemn and sublime, producing a variety of effect,
stirring the soul's profoundest emotions, but no af-
fected display of Avords.

Read the solemn, simple, sublime, touching story

NATURALNESS. 169

of the Shimaraite, 2 Kings, chapter iv; also the
Savior's account of the Prodigal Son.

A few weeks since I spent a night at Fort "Wayne
College. Brother Robinson, the President, his good
lady, and myself, having returned from Church, were
conversing in the parlor, when a messenger came in
and handed the President a telegraphic dispatch.

"Where is it from?" inquired brother R.

" From Lafayette, sir. It contains very sad news/'
replied the messenger.

The President held it a moment before opening,
evidently bracing himself to receive the shock of
some dread lightning-bolt hurled along the wires, and
about to enter hisTieart.

To assist him, I quoted, "He shall not be afraid of
evil tidings." " The Judge of all the earth will do
right."

Then breaking it open he read, "Your father is
low" — "0, it's my dear father." Reading again, he
said to his wife, "0 no, my dear, it 's your father;
all the same to me."

The solemn words of the dispatch were, " Your
father-in-law is dead; come quick."

How dreadful the shock that struck the good sis-
ter's heart!

Soon two of her sisters came in, and each looked

at the little lightning-bolt which had felled the strong

man and his companion, and exclaimed, " 0 ! 0 ! 0 !

father is dead ! He wrote but a few days ago that

he was so well, and now he is dead I"

15 .

170 THE MODEL PREACHER.

Before morning the three bereaved sisters and a
brother vvere on tneir way to the Tippecanoe battle-
ground to bury their father. Great was their sudden
grief, but they sorrow not as those who have no hope.

Our good brother, Joim Poisel, had just got com-
fortably settled in the parsonage of the Eighteenth-
Street Methodist Episcopal Church, New York, last
year, and was waiting the arrival of his son Edwin
from Baltimore. Edwin had just finished his college
course, and was to be on to see his parents at a set
time. His mother had prepared his room, and now
they were expecting him every moment.

Hearing the bell ring, the father ran down stairs,
saying, "Edwin, is that you ?"

But opening the door, a messenger handed him a
telegraphic dispatch, saying, "Your son EdAvin is
drowned; his body has been recovered and awaits
your order."

Poor brother, just in the midst of sunshine and
hope, how the lightning struck him ! The only com-
fort of those bereaved hearts as they meekly bowed
beneath the awful stroke, was that their dear boy was
a devoted Christian, and had gone from the dark
waters to a bright home beyond the tide.

I read an account in the Christian Advocate and
Journal, a few days since, of a poor old lady in Phil-
adelphia, who in her destitution had to beg in the
streets to avoid starvation. As she stood on the
corner of Chestnut and Fourth streets asking alms',
a good-looking sailor looked at her and pulled out a

NATURALNESS. 171

handful of gold and silver, saying, " There, good
mother, take that. You may as well have it as the
land-sharks. The last cruise I had out of New York
found me with four thousand dollars on hand; but as
the neighbors told me my mother was dead, I got on
a spree with the money, and spent it all inside of a
week, and then I shipped again."

" 0 good sir, you are too kind to an old body like
me ! For your sake I will take it. 0, you remind
me of my poor son George White, who was lost at
sea."

'' George White ! why, that 's my name, and you
are my mother !"

He embraced and kissed his mother as the tears
ran down his bronzed cheeks. She vras overcome, like
Jacob, vvhen he heard that Joseph was yet alive, with
emotions of joy. Those who witnessed the scene
could but weep. " The dead was alive ; the lost
was found."

He immediately called for a carriage and drove off
with his mother to comfortable quarters.

The folloAving, taken from the Western Christian
Advocate, is solemn, sublime, and horrible, but re-
quires no display of long adjectives and rhetorical
flourishes to convey the impression to the life :

'' A terrible accident occurred to the express train
going east from Chicago to Toledo, on the Southern
Michigan railroad, at midnight, June 28th, by which
some sixty persons were killed. As the train, when
between South Bend and Mishawaka, w\as passing

172 THE MODEL PREACHER.

over an embankment spanning a ravine, at the baso
of which is a culvert, the embankment suddenly gave
way, and the whole train was precipitated into the
ravine, which was filled with a perfect torrent of
water.

" The engine was literally buried in the opposite side
of the ravine in quicksand and mud, and the tender,
baggage and express car, and two second-class cars
were shattered almost into kindling-wood, and piled
on top of the engine. The two first-class passenger
cars followed, and were torn to pieces and carried
down the stream, while the sleeping car, although
making the leap with the rest, was less injured.

"The stream is naturally but a rivulet, but was
swollen by the extraordinary rains of the previous
afternoon and evening. Flood-wood probably checked
the culvert, converting the embankment into a dam,
and the great weight of water, with the concussion of
the crossing train, caused the sad calamity.

" About one hundred and fifty persons were on the
train ; of these, sixty have been taken from the ruins
dead, and fifty or sixty more wounded, or escaped
unhurt; the rest not heard from, as many of the dead
were drowned in the ravine.

"It is feared that others not heard from have lost
their lives in the same manner.

"Mr. Bliss, the President of the road, and Mr.
Hiram Sibley, one of the Directors, were in the sleep-
ing car, and escaped uninjured. The engineer and
fireman, both named Chulp, of Laporte, were killed ;

NATURALNESS. 173

Hartwell, of Toledo, expressman, and Babbington,
baggage-master, were also killed, in the baggage car.
G. W. Smith, Road-Master, was killed.

*' Some of the incidents connected with the accident
are harrowing. It was midnight, and the lightning
from a storm near at hand was all the light the pas-
sengers had as to their condition.

^' One woman who was on the train with her husband
and five children, ran wildly about all night seeking
her family, but without success till morning, when she
found them all dead. She then went to a farm-house
a few yards off, where, after sitting some minutes, the
wretched wife and mother expired.

"Mr. Rice says, that a gentleman with his w4fe and
two children were on the train on a pleasure trip to
the east. But in the accident the parties became sep-
arated. The husband found one of his young ones
dead in the morning ; next he found his wife dead,
but with her arms closely embracing the other child,
who was saved."

The solemn marches, sublime charges, and horrible
slaughter of the recent battle of Solferino, where
about four hundred thousand men met in mortal com-
bat, and left about forty thousand dead on the field,
arc all reported in simplicity. The facts are the
things that strike, not a gorgeous display of words.
The most sublime scene of prophetic vision is set
forth by St. John in the following plain, natural
words : " And I saw a great white throne, and him
that sat on it, from whose face the earth and heaven

174 THE MODEL PREACHER.

fled away ; and there was found no place for them.
And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before
God; and the books were opened: and another book
was opened, which is the book of life ; and the dead
were judged out of those things which were written
in the books, according to their works. And the sea
gave up the dead which were in it ; and death and
hell delivered up the dead which were in them ; and
they were judged every man according to their
works. And death and hell were cast into the lake
of fire. This is the second death. And whosoever
was not found written in the book of life was cast
into the lake of fire." This whole scene is in another
place set forth in fourteen monosyllables, and one
little word of tv/o syllables — " The great day of his
wrath is come, and who shall be able to stand?" The
most dreadful saying in the book of God is contained
in five monosyllables — '' The wrath of the Lamb.''
The mercy and merit of the Lamb furnish the only
ground of my hope here and hereafter — "For there is
none other Name under heaven given among men,
wdiereby we must be saved." 0 '^ the wrath of the
Lamb !" ^Yho can endure it ?

You see, my brother, from the simple specimens
just presented, that solemnity, moral grandeur, and
stirring effect, do not consist in a display of '' magnifi-
cent words," but in the tnitl!, with all .Is native sim-
plicity and variety, just as we find it in nature, or
providence, or in the Bible ; and the truth, to produce
its appropriate effect, must be communicated in all its

NATURALNESS. 175

simplicity and variety, in a style correspondingly
simple and natural. A mere display of sublime
words, solemn forms, and ministerial dignity, is,
whatever the design may be, a burlesque on the sol-
emn grandeur and dignified simplicity of Gospel
truth, and the natural Gospel mode of proclaiming it.

176 THE MODEL PREACHER

LETTER X.

LITERAL NESS.

My Dear Brother, — The fourth leading character-
istic of the Savior's model for preaching, ^vhich I now
"vvish to illustrate, is Ulerahiess — literal facts demon-
strating the truth and power of the Gospel, and lit-
eral figures illustrating the great spiritual principles
of the Gospel — facts of past history, facts of present
experience and observation, and facts of prophetic
vision yet to be developed in the roll of future
ages — literal facts in opposition to abstract terms
and metaphysics.

I do not pretend to say that abstract generalizing
and metaphysics are not appropriate in their place,
but that they find no place in the preaching of Jesus;
and if admitted to the pulpit at all, it should be sim-
ply for the sake of arranging and classifying real
definite facts. If avc can give our facts tangibility,
locality, and circumstantiality, all the better for
stirring eiTcct.

You observe that I employ the term "literalness"
here in its application to all spiritual as well as ma-
terial realities — real specific fi^cts, in opposition to all
abstract terms, general statements and imaginings,
which represent no real definite thing in this world or
the next; in opposition, also, to such a use of the

LITER ALNESS. 177

legitimate forms of real definite truth, as renders them
general and indefinite in their application.

When I shall have brought out in their symmetrical
combination the essential elements of power defining
the Savior's model for preaching, I will then, while
comparing my model with "the pattern given in the
mount," more fully illustrate this part of my subject.

For the present, I v.ill speak of the literal figures
of illustration appropriate to the pulpit. Literal
illustration should be employed in the pulpit,

1. For the purpose of arresting attention. I
have before shown that the surprise power necessary
to arrest attention is contained, first, in the trut^
itself; and, secondly, in the figures and facts we em-
ploy to simplify and convey Gospel truth to the con-
science.

If the truth itself will so strike the intellect and
heart of the hearer as to arrest attention sufficiently,
then, in that case, no collateral means are necessary.

If the alarm-cry, " Fire ! fire ! fire !" will wake up
the people and stimulate them to save themselves or
their property, then you have only to cry, " Fire !
fire!" and ring the alarm-bell; but if by the fre-
quency of such alarms they lose their stirring effect,
you will then have to knock at the doors of those in
danger, and wake them up by some startling unan-
ticipated means.

If the Savior and his apostles, when Gospel truth
was most fresh and exciting in itself, found it nec-
essary to employ surprise notes — Ho! Hearken!

178 THE MODEL PREACHER.

Behold, behold ! Yerilj, verily ! — and also an endless
vaiietj of literal figures, to arrest attention, how muck
more necessary now !

We practically demonstrate the necessity of arrest-
ing attention to the ordinary interests of life, before
delivering an important message or command, or on
the eve of any movement requiring attention.

A general, at the head of his regiment, giving com-
mand, first cries, "Attention! attention!" The sub-
ofiicers repeat it along the lines, " Attention ! atten-
tion, company!"

How often at public gatherings, for raising a house,
or other work requiring concert of muscular force,
have you heard the cry, "0, yes! 0, yes! all hands
here !"

On ship-board you hear the cry, ''All hands on
deck ! All hands ahoy !"

On the departure of every steamboat or rail-car,
your attention is arrested by the bell ringing, the
steam-whistle, and the final cry, "All aboard!" If
all this is necessary in regard to the objects of sense
about us, how much more necessary in presenting the
invisible realities of the spiritual life!

In proclaiming the messages and commands of
God, and in rallying the sacramental host to storm
the citadel of sin, for the rescue of souls, shall we not
cry, "Attention?"

In building the temple of God, shall we not cry,
"0, yes ! 0, yes!" or by some means secure concert
of action?

LITE 11 ALNESS. 179

In manning the good ship Zion, shall we not cry,
"All hands on deck!" and thrill them as Lord Nel
son did his soldiers, on the eve of battle, when he
cried, "England expects every man to do his duty?"

"When the life-boat of Mercy or the car of Salva-
tion is on the eve of departure, affording to many
their last opportunity of a passage to heaven, shall we
not ring the bell, bloy^' the steam-whistle, and cry,
"All aboard!" "Cry aloud, and spare not; lift up
the voice like a trumpet, and show the people their
sins " and their remedy ?

2. A second object of literal illustration is to sim-
plify the truth, and make it the medium of conveying
the truth to the heads and hearts of the hearers. The
spiritual reality should be brought vividly to light by
some striking feature of resemblance to it contained
in the literal figure. The particular point of resem-
blance in the figure designed to convey the truth, is
to be determined by the subject of discourse; and the
figure can not be legitimately applied beyond that.

For example : the Savior is called " the lion of
the tribe of Judah." The prophet does not mean to
say that he is a ferocious animal, with a long mane.
The subject of discourse — his power and courage — ■
determines the extent to which the figure may be
applied.

Again: he is compared to a lamb— not a diminu-
tive, woolly animal, but an immaculate sacrifice,
oiFered for the sins of the world.

As the object is to simplify and illustrate truth, and

180 THE MODEL PREACHER.

not to mystify it, we should only employ such figures
as will legitimately secure that end.

3. A third object is, by familiarity with the figure,
to fix the truth in the memory.

A very intelligent gentleman in Baltimore city,
speaking of the effect upon his memory of two ser-
mons he had heard from different ministers the day
before, said, ^'I heard Bishop preach a splen-
did sermon yesterday. I don't think I ever heard a
more ma"sterly piece of composition in my life. I
was dehghted, both with the matter of his discourse
and the manner of his delivery, but after I got home
I could not remember a single paragraph of it. I
tried to bring it up, but it had nearly all passed away
like a dream.

"Last night I went to Charles-Street Methodist

Episcopal Church to hear preach, and although I

went with some prejudices against him, before I knew
it he had me laughing and crying, and his sharp points
and simple illustrations made such an impression on my
mind that I never can foi^get them as long as I live."

"While I can not remember a mere statementary
sermon, however sound, a single day, the simple
illustrations of truth which I heard when a little
boy are as fresh in my mind as the scenes of yes-
terday.

It is very difiicult to remember the statement of an
abstract principle or proposition till you can get out
of church, but if that principle be fixed in your
memory by a familiar fact or incident, the illustration

LITERALNESS. 181

becomes, as it were, a stake to which you may tie the
floating principle and hold it forever.

Who that heard the preaching of Jesus could
ever forget his simple life-pictures and incidents!

4. Nearly allied to the last-named object of literal
illustration is the fourth, and last one I shall here
mention. Every literal object thus employed be-
comes a standing monitor, repeating its sacred les-
sons every time it comes in sight or hearing of the
auditor.

The great Teacher's illustrations were so numerous
and varied that his hearers could scarcely ever look
at an object in nature, above, beneath, around, that
did not have something to say about God and sal-
vation. The birds, from the sparrow up to the eagle;
animals of all varieties, wild and domestic; the fields
and the wild woods ; the rills, rivers, and seas ; vegeta-
tion, from the tender blade of corn to the lofty cedars
of Lebanon ; human life in all its relations, in all its
activities and pursuits, in all its forms and phases;
the elements around us; the heavens with their starry
host above us — all these varieties of nature, animate
and inanimate, he endowed with a voice to rehearse
his lessons of Gospel truth; and thus they become
ministers of mercy to dying men down to the end
of the world.

By thus associating Gospel truth with all the strik-
ing, familiar objects of sense, the constant recurrence
of those objects, instead of diverting the mind and
heart from God, as is too often the case, will all

182 THE MODEL PREACHER.

remind us of our duty, and contribute to draw us
nearer to him.

In selecting matter cf illustration appropriate to
the pulpit, my brother, employ such only as is so ex-
citing in itself as to arrest attention, and so apposite
as to carry the truth right to the heads and hearts of
your hearers.

You wish to convey the water of life from the Gos-
pel reservoir to the thirsty souls of your auditors,
but you should remember, as I have before shown,
that they are all preoccupied — the '' earthern ves-
sels " of their hearts are tightly corked. It will
avail nothing to pour the water over them, unless the
corks are drawn. You want an illustration so excit-
ing as to answer the purpose of a corkscrew to ex-
tract the cork and open the heart, and so apposite as
to answer the purpose of a funnel, through which to
pour the living water into the famishing soul.

I make my own feelings the test as to the exciting
character of an illustration, and my common-sense,
guided by the light of the Holy Spirit, the test of its
appositeness. Whatever wakes me up, stirs my emo-
tions, makes me laugh or cry, I set down as a thing
of power. I am hard to move, and when any thing
excites my soul's emotions, I conclude that it will
move almost any person.

I would not think of trying to move an audience
with any tiling that would not, on its first introduc-
tion to me, excite my own heart's emotions ; bui
finding such a thing in human experience, or any

LITEEALNESS. 183

\rhere in the wide world, I stick it down in my mem-
ory, or memoranda, to be kept as so much stock in
trade for future use.

Formerly, when I met with such incidents, I said
to myself, " Can I make any use of these for good ?"
and unless I could at once see wherein I could em-
ploy them to illustrate some truth, I let them slip.
But riper experience taught me a better lesson. I
then noted the stirring facts and incidents as they
came within my observation or experience, without
reference to their particular use.

When I am preparing a sermon, and want matter
for illustration, I run over my stock, as a ship-builder
culls over his timber. In filling his lumber-yard, he
did not stop to determine, in advance, the precise use
he would make of each piece of timber. He laid in
a great variety of choice selections, large and small,
crooked and straight, and when at work building his
ship, the demand indicates the supply necessary each
day as he progresses, and he picks it out of his gen-
eral stock as he needs it.

I do not keep a diary — that is likely to contain too
much commonplace repetition, too much chaff for the
amount of wheat — nor do I keep a regular journal;
but I always have in my pocket a memoranda book,
and note in it only such things as strike me, and are
likely to be useful for the illustration of Gospel truth.
A great many of them I have never had occasion to
use, but still treasure them up as available matter for
future use if necessary.

184 THE MODEL PREACHER.

The degree of excitement which you wish to pro-
duce by an illustration should be graduated by the
character of the subject to be illustrated. The back-
ground of a picture may be so clearly drawn,
and so highly colored, as to weaken or destroy the
effect of the principal figure. So the exciting char-
acter of a mere incident may be such as to carry the
feelings of the hearer away from the subject, instead
of carrying them to it.

A minister of fine descriptive power was, on one
occasion, preaching about heaven ; and, to show the
absurdity of Emanuel Swedenborg's ideas on the sub-
ject, drew a graphic picture of the Swedenborgian
heaven, with its beautiful fields, fine horses, cows,
and pretty women; and, in the midst of his glow-
ing description, a good old sister, carried away with
the scene, went into raptures and shouted, " Glory,
glory, glory."

A friend of mine, who witnessed it, told me the
preacher was so disconcerted that he paused, seeming
hardly to know what next to do, till the presiding el-
der in the stand behind him cried out to the shouter,
" Hold on there, sister, you are shouting over the
wrong heaven."

Many of the figures of Scripture are very strong
and striking, but the Holy Spirit would certainly
never employ one too strong for a truthful represent-
ation of the subject. While, by your facts and inci-
dents, you aim to excite only the degree necessary to
illustrate and apply your subject, you should be care-

LITERALNESS. 185

ful, also, to excite the kind of feeling best adapted to
wake up your hearers and bring them to the Savior,
Use nothing in the pulpit that a Christian man, of
good common-sense, can not, upon sober reflection,
approve, but be sure, by some means, to stir the
hearts of your hearers.

If you can not make them weep directly, make
them laugh, and then make them cry. The distance
between a laugh and a cry is very short, and the
transition very easy. Smiles and tears, in many
cases, go in company as harmoniously and as legiti-
mately as sunshine and showers in spring-time.

You can gain access to some hearts only through
their risible gateway, and if you refuse to enter
through that, you will have to stay outside. First
melt your metal, then mold it.

You should never excite risible feelings by any
light, trifling, or inapposite thing; but if, by the start-
ling appositeness of your illustrations, or the exciting
efi'ect of joyous, religious emotion, your hearers
should smile, be it so.

If you find their risible steam rising so high as to
be likely to run them off" the track, put on the brakes,
and fetch them up trembling and weeping. Do n't
allow any to "switch off"" into indifl'erence. Keep
up the steam, and while you can keep them on the
track, there is but little danger of getting on too
much.

Every minister of the Gospel should not only im-

Dart instruction to the intellect of his hearers, but so

16

186 THE MODEL PREACHER.

melt down the emotions as to enable him to leave the
impression of the broad seal of truth on their hearts,
and stimulate them to action.

I would leave it with the judgment of each minis-
ter and the leading of the Holy Spirit, to determine
what means he may most successfully employ to that
end.

Many afi'ect to despise emotion, and advocate mere
intellectual preaching, in opposition to the emo-
tional.

The intellect is the engine, the emotions the steam ;
both are alike necessary to locomotion. What we
most need in this enlightened age is momentum, to
stimulate the people to action, proportionate to their
knowledge.

Wake up the emotions, therefore, my brother,
whether they manifest themselves at first in smiles or
tears — wake them up by the grace of Jesus, and so
direct them as to propel the soul toward the cross.

A great many pious persons associate long faces
and sadness of countenance so intimately with the
sanctuary, and every thing that pertains to religious
worship, that they can not bear to see a smile in
church, and would not excite one for any consid-
eration.

But smiles belong as legitimately to our nature as
tears. A smile or a laugh is the soul's spontaneous
expression of joyous emotion — tears or weeping its
expression of sorrow. A mixture of joy and sorrow,
or the alternate transition from one to the other,

LITERALNESS. 187

manifest themselves accordingly, like the mixed or al-
ternate sunshine and showers of May. This is the
law, unless restrained by the force of education.

Some laugh to express the deepest sorrow, and
some weep to express the profoundest joy, but these
are the exceptions and not the rule.

The idea of suppressing these heaven-ordained
manifestations of the soul's emotions by the awful
sacredness of the sanctuary, is, in my opinion, a
great mistake, soul-chilling, and, in many cases, soul-
killing, in its effects.

Old Mr. B., of Indiana, was very skeptical — did
not believe in the divinity of Christ — but he became
attached to a certain preacher, and had him establish
a preaching appointment at his house. By and by
the old gentleman became so distressed that he could
not rest, and by careful investigation and prayer, be-
came clearly convinced of the divinity of Jesus, and
thought he was in a very fair way to find the Savior,
in the pardon of his sins.

The next Sabbath after the removal of his doubts,
while listening to his favorite preacher, the truth fell
upon his ear so sweetly that he involuntarily smiled.

The preacher saw his smile and said: "After all
that I can do to try to save your soul, you just laugh
in my face."

Mr. B. was so surprised and mortified by such a
public rebuke, that he gave up seeking religion. The
enemy took advantage of his weakness, ran him ofi"
tjifi track, and he remains a poor sinner to this day,

188 THE MODEL PREACHER.

and fears he never will get so good a start as lie had
that day when the truth was gladdening his heart.

A good old doctor of divinity went, not long since,
to hear a live preacher who always wakes up the peo-
ple, and leads many souls to Christ. The doctor, de-
termined to maintain his standard of ministerial dignity,
would neither laugh nor cry, not he. He listened for
a time with his face in his hands, looking like he was
asleep. By and by he ventured to raise his dignified
head and cast his eyes over the audience, but before
he knew it he caught the prevailing sympathy, and
both laughed and cried; for which, as I was informed,
he became so displeased with himself, that he would
not go to hear that preacher again.

The doctor was a very good man and a good friend
of the said preacher ; but such were his ideas of the
solemn decorum befitting the house of the Lord, that
he could hardly forgive himself for giving way to his
feelings, and would not again risk liis ministerial dig-
nity under the preaching of that man.

A minister who had led the van of God's elect to
many a battle, in which hundreds of souls were res-
cued from the power of the prince of darkness,
preached on one occasion to a very large audience
with good effect; but because some of the auditors
smiled occasionally during the sermon, one of the
Church members accosted the preacher, as he was
passing down the aisle, thus, " I '11 never go to hear
you preach again, sir. You make the people laugh,
and I can't stand such a thing in the house of God.

LITEE ALNESS. 189

I liope you will never preach here any more ,'' and
on he went abusing the strange minister in the pres-
ence of the dispersing multitude, in a loud, angry
tone, till some of his brethren commanded him to be
quiet.

Smiles and tears are both alike liable to misuse
and abuse. Many persons waste their tears over a
novel or a farce, just as many laugh at things trifling
and silly. Many, too, on occasions worthy these
spontaneous expressions of the soul, laugh or cry to
excess.

Levity in the house of God is execrable, but the
risible emotions excited by the appositeness of a
happy illustration of truth, and serving to swell the
sails that bear the soul heavenward, or that arise from
religious joy in the soul, are just as appropriate in
divine worship as tears. This last is an assertion so
questionable with many persons, that I will stop a
moment to examine *' the law and the testimony"
on the subject.

When God renewed his covenant with Abraham,
and instituted the seal of circumcision, " God said
unto Abraham, As for Sarai thy wife, thou shalt not
call her name Sarai, but Sarah shall her name be.
And I will bless her, and give thee a son also of her:
yea, I w^ill bless her, and she shall be a mother of
nations ; kings of people shall be of her. Then
Abraham fell upon his face, and laughed." The old
patriarch Avas so glad, he fell upon his face before God,
just in the midst of their conversation, and laughed

190 THE MODEL PREACHER.

outright ; and God did not reprove him for laughing,
Lut went on with the announcement of the promises
of the covenant. (Gen. xvii, 17.)

"And Sarah said, God hath made me to laugh, so
that all who hear will laugh with me." Gen. xxi, 6.

Bildad the Shuhite, in his address to Job, says,
" Behold, God will not cast away a perfect man,
neither will he help the evil-doers: till he fill thy
mouth with laughing, and thy lips with rejoicing.'*
Job viii, 21.

The royal Psalmist, in magnifying the mercy of
God in saving him from the intriguing malice of a
"mighty man," by the destruction of his enemy, says,
" The righteous also shall see, and fear, and shall
laugh at him." Psalm Hi, 6.

When God's ancient people held a grand celebra-
tion to commemorate their deliverance from Babylo-
nish captivity, they together sang, "When the Lord
turned again the captivity of Zion, we were like them
that dream. Then was our mouth filled with laughter,
and our tongue with singing." Psalm cxxvi, 1.

The Savior, in one of his sermons, said, "Blessed
be ye poor: for yours is the kingdom of God. Blessed
are ye that hunger now: for ye shall be filled.
Blessed are ye that weep now : for ye shall laugh.
Blessed are ye when men shall hate you, and when
they shall separate you from their company, and shall
reproach you, and cast out your name as evil, for the
Son of man's sake. Bcjoice ye in that day, and leap
for joy • for behold your reward is great in heaven ;

LITERALNESS. 191

for in like manner did their fathers unto the prophets."
Luke vi, 20-23.

Th3 great Teacher, while thus informing his little
band of martyrs what they might expect to suffer for
his sake, assures them that in the midst of all, and
over all, they shall ''rejoice, and laugh, and leap for

joy."

Many of the scenes connected with the ministry
and miracles of Jesus occasioned, I have no doubt,
both smiles and tears.

Who, that knows any thing about the sudden tran-
sition of the mind from sorrow to joy and gladness,
can doubt that the bereaved sisters both laughed and
wept, when their brother Lazarus was raised from the
dead, and restored to their fond embrace?

At the close of one of the great Teacher's sermons
in the temple, "The scribes and Pharisees brought
unto him a woman taken in adultery ; and when they
had set her in the midst, they say unto him, Master,
this woman was taken in adultery, in the very act.
Now Moses in the law commanded us, that such
should be stoned ; but what sayest thou ? This they
said, tempting him, that they might have to accuse
him.

''But Jesus" — pondering some weighty subject —
" stooped down, and with his finger wrote on the
ground, as though he heard them not." The guilty
•woman was doubtless wringing her hands in anguish
and despair, in anticipation of the death penalty,
and weeping in penitential sorrow.

192 THE MODEL PREACHER.

"So when they continued asking him, he lifted up
himself, and said unto them. He that is without sin
among you, let him first cast a stone at her. And he
again stooped down and wrote on the ground.

" And they which heard it, being convicted by their
own conscience " — looked at each other, and the old
fellows who led the prosecution broke for the door,
and the younger ones followed, all glad of the oppor-
tunity, Avhile Jesus had his eyes turned the other way.

*' They went out one by one, beginning at the eld-
est, even unto the last : and Jesus was left alone, and
the woman standing in the midst."

If I had witnessed that scene, my brother, you
know I would have laughed to see how completely
those long-faced fellows were taken aback and routed.

Then to see with what tenderness the Master spoke
the poor penitent's sins forgiven, and sent her away
in peace, at the moment when she supposed she would
have been executed, saying to her, "Go, and sin no
more," I should certainly have wept, and thanked
God for a Gospel that could reach the chief of
sinners.

I may simply add, on the subject of literalness,
that the learned authors and teachers of science have
all waked up to the importance of the literal illustra-
tion of their theories.

Take up any modern work you please, treating ©f
any branch of science whatever, and you will find
that the principles of the science are illustrated by
literal facts and figures.

LITERALNESS. 193

The same is true of the most popular scientific
lectures.

A great deal of the teaching of these clays is done
by the use of the black-board, on the same principle.

Many speak of intellectual and logical preaching,
versus literalness of illustration in presenting Gos-
pel truth, as though intellectual research and the
application of logic were confined to abstract reason-
ings and metaphysics.

Examine any modern work on logic itself, and you
will see that the principles of the science are all
brought out by means of literal facts and figures. A
volume of proof and illustration of this subject could
be produced. The children of this world, in this
matter, are wiser than the children of light.
17

194 THE MODEL PREACHER.

LETTER XI.

APPROPRIATENESS.

My Dear Brother, — The fifth essential charac-
teristic of the great Teacher's model is his perfect
adaptation of truth to the condition of the subject —
the exact appropriateness of his discourses as to doc-
trine, spirit, and mode of application, to the occasion
and peculiar wants of his hearers.

This might very properly be set down among the
characteristics of the Savior's preaching as Number I,
instead of Number V; but as you may see its import-
ance more clearly in the light of the four already
given, I place this last.

Appropriateness — a just adaptation of means to
ends — is one of God's immutable la'^vs. Our success
in any undertaking pertaining to this world or the
next, depends on our conformity to this law, and is
usually in the exact proportion of our approximation
to it.

The wholesomeness of any medicine depends on its
application.

The efficiency of any piece of machinery depends
on the appropriate application of the necessary
forces.

It is not alone sufficient tliat we preach sound doc-
trine. From the Gospel treasury we should "bring

APPROPRIATENESS. 195

forth tilings new and old," exactly suited to tlio oc-
casion, and make such an application of them as will
be most likely to secure the end we seek — the salva-
tion of souls. Many a sound doctrinal sermon has
fallen without good effect on account of its utter want
of adaptation to the hearers, either as it regards the
matter or the mode of its application, or both.

The adaptation of the Savior's discourses was per-
fect, because, looking right into the souls of his hear-
ers, scanning every thought and emotion, he knew
precisely wdiat kind of an application to make.

Most of the themes of his recorded discourses seem
to have been suggested by the secret workings and
wants, or some special manifestation of the souls of
his hearers on the occasion. A few cases may serve
to illustrate this point.

''There were present at that season some that told
him of the Galileans, whose blood Pilate had mingled
with their sacrifices. And Jesus answering said unto
them. Suppose ye that these Galileans were sinners
above all the Galileans because they suffered such
things? I tell you. Nay: but except ye repent, ye
sliall likewise perish" — and proceeded to preach a
searching sermon on repentance.

" Then said one unto him, Lord, are there few that
be saved ? And he said unto them. Strive to enter in
at the strait gate : for many, I say unto you, will seek
to enter in, and shall not be able ;" and then preached
on the fearful consequences of failing to enter through
the strait gate into the kingdom of grace.

196 THE MODEL PREACHER.

*• One of his disciples said unto him, Lord, teach us
to pray as John also taught his disciples." He at
once gave them a specimen prayer, and preached to
them on the subject, illustrating and applying the
truth in the most clear, tender, touching, encouraging
manner.

Again : '' The scribes and Pharisees began to urge
him vehemently, and to provoke him to speak of many
things; laying in wait for him, and seeking to catch
something out of his mouth, that they might accuse
him. In the mean time, when there were gathered
together an innumerable multitude of people, in so
much that they trode one upon another, he began to
say unto his disciples first of all, Beware of the leaven
of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy. For there is
nothing covered that shall not be revealed; neither
hid that shall not be known. Therefore, whatsoever
ye have spoken in darkness shall be heard in the
light; and that which ye have spoken in the ear in
closets shall be proclaimed on the house-tops '' — urg-
ing his disciples by precept and example to go on pro-
claiming the whole truth, regardless of the threats
and persecutions of their enemies, adding the most
comforting assurances of God's special care for them,
saying, "My friends, be not afraid of them that kill
the body, and after that have no more that they can
do. But I will forewarn you whom ye shall fear : fear
him which, after he hath killed, hath power to cast
into hell; yea, I say unto you, fear him.

" Are not five sparrows sold for two farthings, and

APPROPRIATENESS. 197

not one of tliem is forgotten before God? But even
the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear
not, therefore; ye are of more value than many
sparrows.

"Also I say unto you, AYhosoever shall confess me
before men, him shall the Son of man also confess
before the angels of God: but he that denieth me
before men, shall be denied before the angels of
God."

With such comforting pledges of divine sympathy
and ultimate salvation, he informs them in his dis-
course what they should expect to suffer for his sake,
and how they should quit themselves as men of God.

His sermon on covetousness, which he illustrated
by the case of the rich man, who was going to build
new barns in which to store his goods, when '' God
said unto him. Thou fool, this night thy soul shall
be required of thee," was introduced by the re-
quest of the man who said to Jesus, "Master, speak
to my brother, that he divide the inheritance with
me."

On another occasion : " The Pharisees and scribes
murmured, saying. This man receiveth sinners, and
eateth w^ith them." Jesus then preached on the great
object of his mission — to save sinners — illustrating by
the lost sheep, the lost piece of money, and the prod-
io;al son.

"And he came to Capernaum: and being in the
house, he asked them. What was it that ye disputed
among yourselves by the way? But they held their

198 TlirJ MODEL PREACHER.

peace, for by the wnj tliey hud disputed among
themselves which shoidd be the greatest."

The apostles still have many successors in that par-
ticular line.

He then preached to them on humility, illustrating
by the little child he set in the midst of them.

^' John answered him, saying, Master, we saw one
casting out devils in thy name, and he followeth not
us ; and we forbade him, because he followeth not
us." Jesus replied in a searching sermon on Chris-
tian union.

You can hardly find, my brother, a single discourse
of Jesus that was not called for by the apparent de-
mand of the occasion on which it was preached. I
have illustrated this fact, simply for the sake of the
bearing it has on my subject — the perfect adaptation
of his teaching to the condition and wants of his
hearers, and not to indicate that we may rely on the
incidents or inspiration of the occasion, and neglect
to prepare our discourses in advance. Yet, while we
should always, as far as possible, make thorough
preparation, we should never be so tied down to any
subject or arrangement as not to be ready to follow
the leading of the Spirit, or seize any incident or
theme at the moment, which may promise greater
success than our prepared discourse.

A man tied to a written sermon has but a poor op-
portunity of imitating the great Teacher.

We may not hope to adapt truth to the peculiar
wants of our hearers, perfectly, as did the Savior,

APPROPP.IxlTENESS. 199

because of our ignorance of the secret workings and
wants of their souls, and yet it is our duty to study
well the power of Gospel remedies and the condition
of the patients ft whom we apply them, and make
the wisest application possible.

When we have done our duty in this resiard, we
may claim the presence of the omniscient Spirit, who
will m^ake a searching application of truth to the con-
science ; "For the word of God" — in demonstration
of the Spirit — "is quick and powerful, and sharper
than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the divid-
ing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and
marrow, and is a discern er of the thoughts and in-
tents of the heart." Such are the perfect delinea-
tions of human experience and conduct furnished in
the Scriptures, and such the searching application of
the Holy Spirit accompanying the preached Gospel,
that it is very common for awakened sinners to be-
lieve that the preacher had been informed of their pe-
culiar cases, and applied his discourse personally to
them.

During a revival of religion in Greenbrier county,
Virginia, a man by the name of Armstrong was con-
verted, and in relating his experience said: "Having
heard of this revival, and that so many of my neigh-
bors had obtained religion, I came, one night, to see
how it was done.

" The preacher, that night, instead of preaching to
the people, as I expected, got up and talked to me,
and told me how I had been livino-, and what T had

200 THE MODEL P R E A C II E 11 .

come for, and what I was thinking about, and exposed
me publicly right there before all my neighbors. 1
never felt so much ashamed in my life before, but was
mad to think that any body should be so mean as to
go and tell the preacher all about me. I was sure
som.ebody had done it, for I knew the preacher was
an entire stranger to me.

"The next night I came in early, and hid behind
the door. I thought if the preacher did not see me,
he would let me alone and preach to the people, but
the first thing he commenced on me again, and raked
me so severely that I cried, and when he called for-
mourners I went forward and prayed. The next
night God, for Christ's sake, pardoned my sins, and
now I love that preacher more than any other living
man."

I could multiply truthful statements of similar
cases which have come under my own observation,
but the point is clear and needs no further illustration.

Your success in preaching the Gospel does not de-
pend " on enticing words of man's wisdom, but in
demonstration of the Spirit and of power."

I have not v>'ritten a separate letter on the neces-
sity of constant reliance on the Holy Spirit for the
success of our labors, because that subject has been
long and ably defended by all our standard writers,
and is generally admitted. I assume that, as an un-
questionable fact in all my letters to you, and yet God
does not, by his Spirit, propose to do our work for
us — the work he has given us to do, as workers

APPROPRIATENESS. 201

together with him. It is in connection with our best
efforts of study and application of the truth, that
we are authorized to chiim the unction of the Spirit
upon ourselves and upon our labors. God often uses
the weak things of this world to confound the mighty,
but he generally blesses with success the means
which, in their nature, are best adapted to the end.

In undertaking any important work you inquire,
first, what is the extent of the work, and what are
the difficulties in the way of its accomplishment ?

Second. "Where is the power by wliich this great
work may be done?

Third. How shall I apply the power so as to secure
the desirable end?

You go to work instrumentally to '' save a soul
from death" — a momentous work, in comparison with
which every other sinks to insignificance. You know
that the Gospel, which is ^'the powder of God unto
salvation," is sufficient, and now the question turns
on the application of that poiver. This opens the field
in which you are to display your skill as a " workman
that needeth not to be ashamed" — "wise to win
souls."

You find the sinner you seek to win subject to
"the law of sin and death," indulging in the unre-
strained promptings of " the carnal mind, which is
enmity against God, not subject to the law of God,
neither indeed can be ;" " led captive by the devil at
his will."

It may be that, from a demoralizing education and

202 THE MODEL PREACHER.

the force of the most vicious liabits, his soul may be
oncompassed by peculiar disabilities and barriers.
He, perhaps, entertains strong prejudices against jou
personally, and particularly against your cause.

To drive such a soul to Christ is out of the ques-
tion. You may assist the devil in driving hira from
Christ, but you can not drive any soul to Christ. If
such was the Gospel mode, God could do that himself
■without human instrumentality or any moral appli-
ances whatever. It is our business, my brother, not
to drive, but to win souls to Christ.

I deduce from the Gospel mode of procedure in the
work of soul-saving three practical rules. The first
involves a wise application of the lavf of sympathy.
In approaching a soul you wish to lead to Jesus,
introduce first the points of agreement between your
soul and his, and not at once the points of disagree-
ment— strike first the chords of mutual sympathy
between you and the sinner, and, for a time, suspend
the discordant notes of mutual repulsion. If you
will thus make him your friend, or, at least, show him
that you are his friend, and walk along in agreeable
company with him, till you come to the point of
necessary divergence, he may by that time be induced
to go with you to the Savior, or, at least, will give to
the message you bear from God to his soul a respect-
ful hearing. But if you begin with the points of
disagreement — attack his prejudices, berate him for
what he considers his honest opinions, or sharply
reprove him for the commission of sin, enormous in

APPROPrtlATENESS. 203

your eyes, and perhaps diminutive in his, you will
most probably insult hira at the ver^^ outset, close up
his heart against you tighter than an oyster, and drive
him, in his blindness and guilt, beyond your reach
forever.

However deep a mian's degradation, he is still a
man — a precious soul, bought v/ith the blood of Jesus,
aril traveling to eternity. The very fact that he is
out of perdition, furnishes strong presumptive evi-
dence that he has been spared for purposes of mercy,
and entitles him to a claim upon our sympathies and
considerate attention.

This rule involves a potent practical principle, which
may be applied with great advantage to every variet}^
of moral suasion, pertaining to all the departments
and relations of life.

There is an accessible avenue to almost every man's
heart. There is some chord of mutual sympathy,
which, if kindly struck, will vibrate a friendly re-
sponse. Study him, and learn the available avenues
to his heart — what strings you may in honest propri-
ety strike for the securement of his good behavior,
his respectful attention to what you have to say, his
cooperation with you in whatever work you wish his
assistance, or his salvation. He has many essential
attributes of humanity in common with yourself;
besides, he may be from the same section of country,
may have been educated in the same school with your-
self, may subscribe to the same religious belief, may
have had a pious mother who prayed for him in life,

204 THE MODEL PP.EACIIErt.

and with her dying breath commended him to God, or
he may have been a fellow-soklier in some engage-
ment or a fellow-sufferer in some expedition, may
with you belong to the same social fraternity, or
political party, or be at any rate a fellows-citizen of the
same glorious commonwealth — if not, you may know
some honored champion of human rights in his coun-
try, the mention of whose name will thrill his heart —
he is a fellow-man, and you are bound by the golden
rule to do unto him as you would have him do unto
you.

Treat any man as a dog, and he will bite you if he
can, unless he has such a development of Christian
meekness as to return you good for evil, and then he
will make you feel like a snarling cur after snapping
at his master.

Treat a man as a man ; show him that while you
have no compromises to make with sin, you do never-
theless respect him as a fellow human being, and
desire to do him good ; put him on his good behavior
as a man, and if he hns a grain of common-sense in
his head, or a spark of human sympathy in his soul,
he will try to show himself a man, or at least give
you a hearing, and return you a grateful grin for your
kind attentions, and for the confidence you have
reposed in him. " A soft answer turneth away wrath,
but grievous words stir up anger."

At a camp meeting I once attended, a large company
of rownlies were creating a great deal of disturbance.

The preacher in charge, learning who was their

APPROPRIATENESS. 205

leader, at a convenient opportunity met him, and said,
as he gave him a hearty shake by the hand, " Mr. B.,
I'm ghad to see you. I know your good father and
mother, and I am glad at any time to meet a member
of the family ; but I wanted to see you . specially at
this time, to enlist your cooperation in preserving
order on the encampment. There are a great many
thoughtless, reckless young men on the ground, who
are giving us some trouble, and from your acquaint-
ance with them, and influence over them, I believe
you can do more than any other man in maintaining
the peace and quiet of the meeting, and I shall rely
upon you to keep those fellows straight."

The preacher did believe it, and did not misplace
his confidence. Mr. B. promised to do what he could
to preserve order, and they parted good friends.
There was no further disturbance during the meeting.

At one of the large encampments I attended last
fall, there were a great many very rude fellows pres-
ent, who seemed determined to break up, or at least
seriously disturb the meeting.

The presiding elder, having charge, was firm., but
kind — "harmless as a dove, and wise as a serpent."
He reasoned the case with them clearly, without
threatening, and then instead of administering public
rebukes from the stand for any breach of order, he
had his police posted on diiferent parts of the ground,
to speak personally to any who vrcre disorderly, and
kindly, but firmly, to enforce the rules of the meeting.
The result was just as he intended it should be.

206 THE MODEL PREACHER.

At another I attended last fall, the preacher in
charge read his rules of order for the meeting, and
added, '' You see we have rules, and ■vve intend to
have them observed. We have the law on our side,
and we will, enforce it if necessary. You may rely
upon it, we do n't intend to be run over by a set of
unprincipled rowdies. If they have n't sense and
good-breeding enough to know how to behave them-
selves, we will teach them in a manner that will not
be very agreeable to their feelings."

Said I to myself, " My dear brother, you have
thrown down the glove, and I 'm very much mistaken
in my judgment of this people if you do n 't find
plenty of fellows who will pick it up very quickly."

That night we had a great deal of disturbance, and
I knovr not where it would have ended, but for a
meek, fearless brother, who went out among the row-
dies, and talked kindly to them, and finally succeeded
in getting them oif to his own barn to take lodgings for
the night. But in one of the previous engagements
of the night brother Smith was struck with a stone,
wdiich raised a bump of combativeness on his head,
and roused his righteous indignation.

The next morning he went round and notified all
the tent-holders that the brethren were going out at
nine o'clock to arrest every rowdy on the ground, and
put them through, as they deserved, and requested
each tent company to furnish help.

At the appointed time the company formed, and
marched out with the preacher in charge at their

APPROPRIATENESS. 207

head. The rowdies kept out of their way, but were
back in guerilla squads again at night.

The preaching was good, and the prospect for re-
vival quite fair ; but, after night preaching, while the
prayer meeting with the mourners was in progress,
the preacher in charge said, " Hold on a moment,
brethren."

Then addressing a man away back on the ladies'
side of the encampment, he said, ^' Young man, go
over to your own side of the ground. You are vio-
lating the rules of the meeting. I tell you to go
away from there."

The penitents remained on their knees, but the
"whole train stood waiting" while the two belliger-
ents held each other at bay.

"If you do n't go away from there," continued the
preacher, " I '11 take you away." He was fairly com-
mitted— one or the other must switch off the track,
or risk a collision. The young man muttered defi-
ance and stood his ground.

Down came the preacher, who, with rapid, undaunt-
ed steps, made for the incorrigible sinner, seized and
led him away. He displayed great courage, and took
his foe captive ; but by that time the revival fire had
gone down, the steam had escaped, and the train
could not be got in motion again that night.

Upon the whole it was a great meeting for magis-
trates, lawyers, arrests, fines, bad feeling, loud talk,
confusion, and nearly every thing but the salvation
of souls.

208 THE MODEL PREACH SS.

Tho application of my Gospel rule vfoiild have pro-
duced a very different result.

I remember in my early ministry, in holding a
meeting in Monroe county, Ya., that the deputy sheriff
of the county vras in attendance regularly for the
purpose of opposing the revival. I had no personal
acquaintance with him, but frequently saw him, while
penitents were being invited to the altar, going round
among the people, employing his persuasive power to
prevent them from seeking religion.

One day, as a large number of seekers came for-
ward and kneeled at the altar, just as I said, "Let us
all unite in prayer," I saw the sherijQf start from the
rear of the audience toward the mourners, and know-
ing that he had some evil design, I said, " Stop a
little, brethren; don't kneel yet." By that time the
sheriif seized the arm of a young lady who was
kneeling at the altar, saying, " Eliza, you must come
away from here."

Then said I, "Mr. Campbell, what do you want,
sir?"

"I want this girl away from here."

" Is she your wife, sir ?"

" No."

" Is she your daughter ?"

" No ; but she 's a relation of mine, and she 's in
my care, and I intend to have her away from here.
I don't believe in this thing of forcing people into
measures."

" No, Mr. Campbell, and I do n't believe in that

APPROPRIATENESS. 209

either, and if the young lady was forced to come for-
ward, I shall certainly not object to your taking her
away. Ask her, if you please."

He would not ask her, but a sister near said,
*' Eliza, did you come forward of your own accord, or
"were you overpersuaded?"

She replied, "I came without being asked at all.
I want to try to save my soul, and I can't go away
from here till I find mercy."

" Slie don't know what she is about," rejoined the
sheriff; " she 's too young to engage in any thing of
this kind, and I'll have her away."

*' 0, Mr. Campbell," said I, " she has long since
passed the line of accountability, and is entirely ca-
pable of thinking and acting for herself; but, if you
assume the responsibility of thinking and deciding for
her in this matter, will you stand for her in the day
of judgment ?"

" No, but I'll stand for her now, and I'm bound to
have her away."

Eliza wept aloud, and held on so tightly to the
bench over which she was kneeling that he could
not get her up.

Then said I, "Mr. Campbell, if you please, sir,

just take a seat by her side, and you can see that she

is duly cared for, and not imposed upon." With that

he let her go, and began to work his way back toward

the door ; but I took him gently by the arm, and

said, "Mr. C, the young lady wants rehgion, and, as

I have no ill-feeling in the world toward you, I would
18

210 THE MODEL PREACHER.

be most happy to see you embrace religion also. I
presume you need it as much as any of us."

''Yes," said he, "I suppose I do."

Then addressing the people, I said, "Let us pray."
We ''kneeled before the Lord our Maker," and I told
the Lord about Eliza, commended her to his special
care, and begged him to pity her uncle and bring him
to a knowledge of the truth.

The meeting from that moment went on gloriously.
Eliza found the Savior that day, and a very wicked
old companion of Mr. C.'s, and even a greater perse-
cutor of the Methodists than he, was also, after a very
hard struggle, powerfully converted that day.

As soon as I pronounced the benediction Mr.
Campbell came up, and grasping my hand, said, "I
want you to come and take dinner with me."

"Thank you, sir," said I, "I will go with pleasure."

On his way home he told me all about the manner
in which he had been brought up, and how he became
so prejudiced against the Methodists; but said he, "I
see now that I am wrong, and I will never oppose
them again." I prayed in his family, and afterward
baptized his wife and children, and ever after found
in him a warm personal friend; and though he did
not embrace religion v/hile I remained on the circuit,
he embraced every opportunity to show his high re-
gard for the Church.

At another meeting on the same circuit, a man by
the name of John Carlisle, hearing that his wife
had gone to the altar as a seeker of religion, raved

APPROPRIATENESS. 211

like a maniac, swore like a pirate, and wanted to

figiit.

It was missionary ground, and there was not a male
member of the Church in that neighborhood, except
some nevv^ converts, and they did not feel like fighting,
and I was not disposed to fight him ; but instead of a
fist and skull knock-down with him, we piled on to
him a few "soft answers,'"' and down we fetched
him.

By that time his wife found mercy, ran and em-
braced him, and told him a wonderful story about an
old neglected friend of theirs, whom they had long
been slighting — the Savior of sinners.

It was not long till John v/as at the mourner's
bench, roaring in an agony of despair. '' 0," said
he, " I 'm lost, I 'm lost ! I have committed the un-
pardonable sin. I am reprobated to all eternity."
But in due time John obtained mercy, and he and his
wife together joined the Church.

When Ben. Currier, whom you knew in California,
heard that his wife was at a Methodist altar, he swore
that if the devil would help him, he w^ould go right
mto the church and whip the preacher, and every man
and woman who dared to resist him in taking his wife
away.

Said he, '' I liad about a mile to go to get to the
church, and all the way along I felt as strong as Samp-
son. I told the devil just to back me and I would
clear out the whole concern, and I believed he would
do it.

212 THE MODEL PREACHER.

'' When I readied the church I found it crowded to
overflowing. I coukl hardly get in.

" As I tried to press my way up the aisle, the
preacher met me with a smile, and said, ' Mr. Currier,
I 'm glad to see you. Here 's a good seat for you,
sir. Sit over there a little, gentlemen, and make
room for Mr. Currier. There, Mr. Currier, take a
seat and enjoy our meeting.'

"I sat down, feeling as mean as a sheep-stealing
dog. I never was so much ashamed and confounded
in my life. The longer I sat the worse I felt. I was
mad at myself and mad at the devil for having
brought me into such a snap and leaving me in the
lurch.

" I sat there about fifteeen minutes, and thought I
would have given a hundred dollars to be out of the
house, but feared that I could n't get out. After a des-
perate effort I got to the door, and left things as I
found them. On my way home I abused the devil for
his meanness, and told him I never would have any
thing more to do with him; and as soon as I got into,
the house I dropped on my knees, and tliei'e prayed
all that night. My wife came home happy, and prayed
for me. The next day God, for Christ's sake, con-
verted my soul."

APPROPEIATEXESS. 213

LETTER XII.

APPROPUIATEX ESS — CONTINUED.

My Dear Brother, — But for the practical power
of this law of kindness, how could I have got along
for the last thirteen years, preaching in the streets
and highways, especially in the early settlement of
California ?

You remember that when I commenced to preach
on the Plaza in San Erancisco, nearly all the gam-
bling-houses in the city fronted on that square, and
they occupied the best houses in the city.

Such was their power, that though they shot a man
almost every week, there were no arrests nor investi-
gations— no power of law that dared to touch them.

But relying on the potent forces of common-sense
and Christian sympathy, and the promised presence
of Jesus, I took my stand in front of their largest
saloon, and sang together, I suppose, five hundred
gamblers, and as many more excitables of all sorts,
in less than ten minutes. That brought on the tus;
of war. In reading the third chapter of my Cali-
fornia Life Illustrated, you have seen that I sur-
rounded and arrested them, and, by the grace of Je-
sus, so committed them to my cause, that so far from
disturbing, they received the Avord kindly and became
my regular hearers; although I often preached on

214 THE MODEL PREACHER.

gambling, and showed it up with all its withering con-
sequences.

Generally after that, whenever they shot a fellow,
they sent for me to preach his funeral.

As an illustration of the rule under consideration,
I will insert an extract from one of those funeral
sermons, found in Seven Years' Street Preaching,
page 82. Taking my stand in the gambling-house
beside the bloody corpse of C. B., I sang :

" Thai a-svful day will surely corae,
Til' appoinled hour makes haste.
When I must stand before my Judge,
And pass the solemn test," etc.

The gamblers, en masse, crowded the saloon, and I
announced as my text the last two verses of the book
of Ecclesiastes : '' Let us hear the conclusion of the
whole matter : Fear God, and keep his command-
ments : for this is the whole duty of man. For God
shall bring every vrork into judgment, vfith every
secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be
evil."

I then addressed them as follows : '• Gentlemen,
in my discourses I alvrays endeavor, so far as I can,
to adapt my remarks to my audience. I take it for
granted that the greater portion, if not all of you, are
sportsmen ; as such I shall address you. ' The con-
clusion of the whole matter,' the summary of life's
duties, what is it? 'Fear God, and keep his com-
mandments.' Do you understand it ?

"You are not a set of ignoramuses. I know from

APPROPRIATENESS. 215

your appearance that you have had educational ad-
vantages. Some of you have had pious mothers, who
used to put your little hands together, and teach you
to say, 'Our Father who art in heaven.' Ah, those
sweet days of juvenile innocency ! Do you remember
them ?

" Many of you, I doubt not, have been brought up
in the Sabbath school, and you have all had opportu-
nity of reading the word of God, and of hearing it
preached from your boyhood to the present hour.
You can not plead ignorance. You knovr your duty — •
to ' keep His commandments.' How comprehensive
the commandments of God, embracing every duty
growing out of the relations we sustain to God and to
each other!

" Had you given your hearts to God, believed in
Jesus Christ, received the regenerating power of his
grace in your souls, and were you to-day consecrated
to his service, what happy men you would be ! What
an influence you might vrield for God and his cause in
California ; help to build up good society, and make
this fair land *a safe and happy home for your wives
and children! The little boys and girls now growing
up in our midst would repeat your names with grate-
ful hearts, and call you blessed when your bodies are
in the ground, and your souls safe in the abode of
angels and God.

'•But what are you about? What are you doing
here in California ?

" Look at that bloody corpse ! What will his mother

216 THE MODEL PREACHER.

say ? What will his sisters think of it ? To die in a
distant landj among strangers, is bad; to die unfor-
given, suddenly, and unexpectedly, is worse ; to be
shot down in a gambling-house, at the midnight hour,
0, horrible ! And yet this is the legitimate fruit
of the excitement and dissipation, chagrin and disap-
pointment, consequent upon your business — a busi-
ness fatal to your best interests of body and soul, for
time and for eternity.

" Again : look at its influence upon society. The
unwary are decoyed and ruined. Little boys, charmed
by your animating music, dazzled by the magnificent
paraphernalia of your saloons, are enticed, corrupted,
and destroyed, to the hopeless grief of their mothers,
whose wailings will be entered against you in the
book of God. Remember that for all these thino;s
God will bring ^^ou into judgment. ' For God shall
bring every work into judgment, with every secret
thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil.'"

Every gambler listened with profound attention.

In four years from that time the people demanded
an anti-gambling law, which was granted, and every
gambling-house in the state was closed by its prompt
execution, and every gambler Avent down under the
pressure of an indignant public sentiment a thousand
per cent, belov.' par.

Suppose that on the funeral occasion referred to I
had commenced my discourse where I left off. They
would have kicked me out of the house, and perhaps
sliot me, for tliere was no visible protection nor

APPROPEIATENESS. 217

redress ; but bj adhering to the Gospel rule under
discussion I was enabled to conquer their prejudices,
and pour the unadulterated truth right down into
their guilty hearts.

You know, my brother, and all who know me will
bear record, that Avhile I begin with the points of
agreement, and not the points of disagreement, I
never compromise religious principle in the applica-
tion of this rule, but preach the law and the Gospel
in all plainness.

I could have had as many fights as any of the pio-
neers of the west, and I think, from what you know
of the elastic, muscular power with which God has
endowed me, you will say that I could have gained as
great a reputation in that line as any of them, but I
do n't choose to fight in that way. I rely much more
on a judicious application of the law of common-
sense and Christian sympathy than upon muscular
force. " It is not by might nor by power, but by my
Spirit, saith the Lord," that the great Gospel achieve-
ments are to be made.

I do not mean to berate the grand old heroes, who,
in leading the van of our Methodist armies westward,
had an occasional knock-down with a rowdy. I will
not pass judgment on the necessity that justified that
course in their minds, for they were good, great, and
useful men — men of God raised up for the glorious
work in which they devoted their lives.

I think, however, they possessed the power which,

if properly applied, would, consistently with the law

19

218 THE MODEL PREACHER.

of love, Lave coDqucred their enemies, in most cases,
much more easily and more efiectuaily.

When a man gets it into his head that it is neces-
sary for him to have a fight occasionally, he can gen-
erally be accommodated with an opportunity.

When did you, my brother, ever see a short-tailed,
snub-nosed bull-dog that "was not covered Avith scars
back to his massive shoulders, consequent on his great
fights ?

But look at the New Foundland; see the friendly
wag of his huge tail, as he walks round and waits for
an opportunity to rescue some drowning child. There
is not a scar on him ; he has plenty of friends, fares
well, never had a fight in his life, and does not feel
that the vindication of his courage or his carcass will
ever require one.

There is a great deal, my brother, in knowing how
to manage and get along peaceably with man and
beast, and I will here give you a few practical hints,
as they are relevant to my subject.

If you should be pursued by a furious bull — which
may probably occur among your great herds of Ore-
gon, the " Bashan " of the north-west — run from him
in a straight line till he gets within a few feet of you,^
and then spring off at a right angle. The animal will
run on in a straight line, and you can go on to your
apj)ointmcnt.

The philosophy of it I presume to be this : when
he makes a drive at an object — say in a fight with hig
fellow — he will, in that act, shut liis eyes. So in pur-

APPROPRlATENESiS. 219

suing you, when lie boAvs his neck to give you a death-
blow, he shuts his eyes and do n't see you dodge.
He rushes right on, and, opening his eyes, no doubt
wonders what has become of his man. Should he
soon after see you, he will, by that time, have spent
his wrath, and is not likely to pursue you.

If a dog bound at you to bite you, hold out your
hat to him, and let him bite that. A snap at your hat
will satisfy him about as well as to bite off the calf
of your leg,, and will be much cheaper for you. I
have tried that often, and always with success.

The philosophy of it is this : a snap or two at your
hat will suffice to let the steam off — the wrathful pas-
sion escapes, and having displayed the courage of his
dogship, he is satisfied.

On the same principle, if an angry man attack you,
just be calm, and, if possible, hold him at bay a min-
ute and let him talk, till you apply '^a soft answer"
or two, and strike a few chords of mutual sympathy,
and soon his wrathful steam Avill escape, and he will
cower down before your superior, self-possessed soul.
In that way you conquer him, and do it so effectually,
that he is not likely ever to attack you again. I have
-tried this in a number of cases, and always with suc-
cess.

If you keep out of his way, his passion, unless his
heart is deeply corroded with malice, will soon escape
and he will conquer himself; but in that case you gain
no power over him.

I once saw two men, in San Francisco, who wanted

220 THE MODEL PKEACHER.

to fifr^it each other. One of them was furious, and
when he was prevented by the crowd from getting
hokl of his antagonist, he pulled off his own hat and
tore it to pieces. That served to express his chivalry
and opened a safety-valve through which the malicious
gas escaped, and in a few minutes he walked away
quietly about his business, feeling, as I thought,
nearly as well satisfied as if he had whipped the man.

This theory accounts for the fact, that a dog that
barks much, or a man or woman who talks much, is
not apt to bite, because the steam escapes in the
barking and talking, and they have but little desire,
and less power, left for biting or fighting.

But you say, " If this lay>^ of sympathy be so po-
tent, why did not the martyrs and the persecuted
Christians, in all ages, employ it for their own pro-
tection ?" In the rush of mob force there is no time,
ordinarily, for the application of it. Persecution is
usually carried on by an organized power, which op-
erates beyond the reach of the moral suasion of the
persecuted, and, to anticipate and prevent the effect
of their moral power of speech, they have not gener-
ally been permitted to speak for themselves. When
such privilege was granted them, they displayed a
wisdom and power of speech which their adversaries
were not able to gainsay nor resist. Wherever this
law has been applied we find the clearest demonstra-
tions of its power.

When St. Paul was brought before the Sanhedrim
for trial, he perceived, during the proceedings, that

APPROPRIATENESS. 221

about half the judges were Pharisees and the other
half Sadducees, and ^' cried out in the council, Men
and brethren, I am a Pharisee, the son of a Pharisee :
of the hope and resurrection of the dead am I called
in question. And when he had so said, there arose
a dissension between the Pharisees and Sadducees:
and the multitude v/as divided." He struck, and
truthfully, too, a single chord of mutual sympathy or
agreement that vibrated in the heart of every Phari-
see in the council.

How often did Mr. Wesley quell the mob by the
application of this law ! Whenever he had the op-
portunity of speaking to them he subdued the most
turbulent spirits, the leader of the mob sometimes
coming right out and swearing that he would defend
the preacher to the death. How many thousands of
persecutors have thus been w^on to Christ ! Allow me
to present a few examples from the history of the
great revival of the eighteenth century. " An innu-
merable multitude assailed the dwelling where Mr.
Wesley w^as staying. 'A louder or more confused
noise,' he says, ' could hardly occur at the taking of
a city.' The terrified family escaped, leaving only
Wesley and a servant-maid in the house. The rabble
forced open the door and filled the passage. Only a
wainscot partition remained between them and their
victim. Wesley, supposing the wall would soon fall,
showed his coolness at the moment by taking down a
large lodking-glass which hung against it. The mob,
with terrible imprecations, began to attack the parti-

222 THE MODEL PREACHER.

tion. ^Our lives,' lie says, 'seemed hardly worth
an hour's purchase.' The servant entreated him to
hide himself in a closet. 'It is best,' he replied, 'for
me to stand just Avhere I am.' The crews of sOme
privateers, which had lately arrived in the harbor,
were in the street, and being impatient at the slow
progress of the rioters within, drove them out, and
undertook the assault themselves. Puttino; their
shoulders against the door, and shouting, 'Avast,
lads ! avast !' they prostrated it upon the floor of the
room. Wesley stepped forward immediately into
their midst, bareheaded, and said, ' Here I am.
Which of you has any thing to say to mo ? To
which of you have I done any wrong ? To you ? or
you ? or you ?' He continued speaking till he reached
the middle of the street ; there he took his stand, and
addressed them as his 'neighbors and countrymen.'
He had his usual success. Several of the crowd cried
out, 'He shall speak. Yes ! yes !' Others swore that
no man should touch him. He was conducted in
safety to a house, and soon after left the town in a
boat." (Stevens's History of Methodism.)

See the power of this law illustrated in the experi
ence of Whitefield. " At London Whitefield could
no longer be content with his spacious tabernacle, but
took again the open field. The most riotous scenes
at Moorfields were usually during the Whitsun holi-
days. The devils then held their rendezvous there,
he said, and he resolved 'to meet them in pitched
battle.' He began early in order to secure the field

APPROPRIATENESS. 223

before tlie greatest rush of the crowd. At six o'clock
in the .mornmg he found ten thousand people waiting
impatiently for the sports of the day. Mounting his
pulpit, and assured that he 'had for once got the start
of the devil/ he soon drew the Avhole multitude
around him. At noon he again took the field.
Between twenty and thirty thousand swarmed upon
it. lie described it as in complete possession of
Beelzebub, whose agents were in full motion. Drum-
mers, trumpeters, merry-andrews, masters of puppet-
shows, exhibitors of wild beasts, players, were all
busy in entertaining their respective groups. He
shouted his text, ' Great is Diana of the Ephesians,'
and boldly charged home upon the vice and peril of
their dissipations. The craftsmen were alarmed, and
the battle he had anticipated and challenged now
fairly began. Stones, dirt, rotten eggs, and dead
cats were thrown at him. 'My soul,' he says, 'was
among lions ;' but before long he prevailed, and the
immense multitude were ' turned into lambs.' At six
in the evening he was again in his field pulpit. ' I
came,' he says, ' and I saw ; but what ? Thousands
nnd thousands more than before.' He rightl^^ judged
that Satan could not brook such repeated assaults, in
such circumstances, and never, perhaps, had they
been pushed more bravely home against the very cita-
del of his power. A harlequin was exhibiting and
trumpeting on a stage, but was deserted as soon as
the people saw Whitefield, in his black robes, ascend
his pulpit. He 'lifted up his voice like a trumpet,

224 THE 31 0 D E J. P R E A C il E R .

and many heard the joyful sound.' xit length they
approached nearer, and the iiierry-andrew, attended
by others, vrho complained that tlie}^ had taken m-anj
pounds less that day on account of the preaching, got
upon a man's shoulders, and advancing toward the
pulpit, attenjpted several times to strike the preacher
Avith a long, heavy vdiip, but always tumbled down by
the violence of his- motion. Tlie mob next secured
the aid of a recruiting sergeant, who, v>'ith music and
straggling follov^ers, marched directly through the
crowd before the pulpit. Yfhitefield knew instinct-
ively how to manage the passions and whims of the
people. lie called out to them to make way for the
King's officer. The sergeant, with assumed official
dignity, and his drum and fife, passed through the
opened ranks, which closed immediatel}^ after him,
and left the solid mass still "in possession of the
preacher. A third onslaught was attempted. Roar-
ing like wild beasts, on the outskirts of the assembly,
a large number combined for the purpose of sweeping
through in solid column. They bore a long polo for
their standard, and cam.e on with the sound of drum
and menacing shouts, but soon quarreled among them-
Belves, threw down their pole, and dispersed, leaving
many of their number behind, 'who were brought
over to join the besieged party.' At times, however,
the tumult rose like the noise of many waters, drown-
ing the preacher's voice; he would then call upon his
brethren near him to unite with him in singing, till
the clamorous host were again charmed into silence.

APPROPRIATENESS. 225

He wjis determined not to retreat defeated; preach-"
ing, praying, singing, he kept his ground till night
closed the strange scene. It wns one of the greatest
of his fiehl days. He had won the victor}^, and moved
off with his religious friends to celebrate it at night
in the Tabernacle; and great were the spoils there
exhibited. No less than a thousand notes were after-
ward handed up to him for prayers, from persons
who had been brought 'under conviction' that day ;
and soon after upward of three hundred were re-
ceived into the society at one time. Many of them
were ' the devil's castaways/ as he called them."
(Ibid.)

At a later period Charles Wesley, writing from
Cornwall, said, " Their sufferings have been for the
furtherance of the Gospel. The opposers behold and
w^onder at their steadfastness and godly conversa-
tion." "Four exhortcrs had been raised up among
them." "Both sheep and shepherds," he adds, "had
been scattered in the late cloudy day of persecution,
but the Lord gathered them again, and kept them
together by their own brethren, who began to exhort
their companions, one or more, in every society."
At a later period he says of Cornwall, " The wdiole
country finds the benefit of the Gospel. Hundreds
who follow not with us have broken off their sins, and
are outwardly reformed, and, though persecutors once,
will not suffer a word to be spoken against this way."
At St. Ives he writes that " the whole place is out-
wardly changed. I walk the streets, scarce believing

226 THE MODEL PREACHER.

that it is St. Ives. It is the same throughout all the
country. All opposition falls before us, or rather is
fallen, and not suffered to lift up its head again."
" At Sithney, fierce persecution had prevailed against
the society, and women and children had been struck
down and beaten in the streets; now one hundred
of the former rioters gathered about him to fight for
him against a threatened mob from a neighboring
town." (Ibid.)

By a wise application of the law of Christian sym-
pathy, a consistent example of meekness, and patient
perseverance in well-doing, on the part of that noble
band of street preachers and their zealous converts,
by the merciful providence of God, and the power of
his Gospel, the raving mobs of England, Ireland, and
Wales were all suppressed, and hundreds of the riot-
ers became as zealous defenders as they had been
opposers of the truth.

But, whatever may be the practical value of this
law for any purpose of life, it is certainly of the first
importance in "winning souls to Christ." Never in-
sult or abuse any man. Why, " Michael the arch-
angel, when contending vv'ith the devil, he disputed
about the body of Moses, durst not bring against
him a railing accusation, but said, The Lord rebuke
thee."

If you desire to lead a soul to Christ, I repeat, ap-
proach him gently, begin with the points of agree-
ment, strike the chords of mutual sympathy, and you
■will; by the blessing of God, have an opportunity of

APPROPRIATENESS. 227

doing him good. You may not always succeed, but
if you can not by that means, you can not otherwise.

Many good men practically ignore this rule, and
practice its opposite. They begin with the points of
disagreement, and will show you but little kind affec-
tion till you submit and come over to their side of
the question. In manifesting their righteous indigna-
tion against sin, they have nothing but frowns, hard
names, opprobrious epithets and anathemas, to give
to the sinner. For the purpose of curing the
disease, they go to work with their instruments of
death, and kill the patient. Much of the cross-firing
at other Christian denominations, and especially at
such as are not regarded as orthodox, and at the
Catholics, is done in the same spirit.

Some of our most conscientious brethren and sis-
ters, who sincerely feel it their duty to reprove sin,
publicly and privately, think of the sins to be re-
proved till their holy horror is aroused, and they
burn Avith zeal to get hold of the guilty rebels ; and,
finding opportunity, they go at them with their legal
sledge-hamrner, and batter them as if they expected
to maul the grace of God into them, with or without
their consent. I would advise such persons to read
Rary's work on horse training. I have not seen the
work myself, but have no doubt, from what I have
heard of Mr. Raiy, that such persons seeing the ef-
fect of the law of kindness on horses, would espe-
cially see its importance in dealing with moral agents.

If, on my first approach to a sinner, I make a

228 THE MODEL PREACUEK.

direct assault on liis errors of doctrine and wickedness
of life, having truth on my side, I may silence his
objections and shut his mouth, but I will, in all prob-
ability, more effectually shut his heart against me.
I shall have delivered my soul, and made a sinner mad.
But, if I approach him as a brother, strike a few
chords of mutual sympathj^, cause him to feel that I
love him, and thus gain his confidence, and ingratiate
myself into his affections ; then, if the good Spirit is
pleased to bless my efforts to save a soul, he will
kindly receive the plainest Gospel talk I can give him,
and beg me, as his friend, to tell him all I see in him
that is wrong. If I should be guilty of catering to
his bad passions, I would certainly forfeit his confi-
dence. He will expect me, as the friend of his
soul, to be honest, and to deal faithfully with him,
and withhold no truth necessary to his salvation, how-
ever mortifying to his feelings.

When I go into a prison, as I often do, to see what
sin is doing with my guilty brethren, and to see if I
may do any thing for their relief, I go to a man in
chains, and taking him by the hand, say, "My dear
brother, I am sorry to find you here," and the de-
graded man will go to weeping, just to think that he
has a brother left, who can care for his soul, and pour
a little sympathy into his deserted heart. An old
lady, in giving directions how to dress and cook a
hare, said, " The first thing is to catch it."

But you inquire, '• Are we to ignore Gospel polem-
ics, the delineation and condemnation of sin, the ter-

APPROPRIATENESS. 229 ,

rors of the law, and the coming retributions of the
judgment?*' No, sir; not bj any means. I have
told you -what I consider the Gospel mode of ap-
proaching a sinner you Avish to lead to Christ — begin
"with the points of agreement as I have illustrated,
but declare the -whole counsel of God to him before
you leave him. But in pouring the terrors of the
law upon him, and in tlie dissection of his soul and
body with the sword of the Spirit, be sure that you
manifest constantly the same spirit of love with
which you commenced.

There are, besides the object of a direct eiFort to lead
souls to Christ, according to the rule I have set forth,
two leading legitimate departments of Gospel polem-
ics in which the embassadors of Christ have to " con-
tend for the faith." HhQ first involves a collision with
opposing systems of formal Christianity, heathenism,
Judaism, and hydra-headed infidelity. In this con-
test they do not generally deal directly, so much
with men as with principles, theories, and God-con-
demned, hoary-headed, time-honored systems of er-
ror and sin. The direct object in this case is to res-
cue truth from the masses of accumulated error
which environ and conceal it, and to bring it out un-
shackled in its unadulterated simplicity, virgin beau-
ty, and saving power — to grade down the opposing
hills and mountains, fill up the valleys, "prepare
the way of the Lord, and make straight in the desert
a highway for our God." The second involves a col-
lision with the enemies of God, scofi*ers and opposcrs,

230 THE MODEL PKEACIIER.

who exert themselves to overthrow the Gospel or
defeat its gracious ends. In this case the direct ob-
ject is not so much to save the man we encounter, as
to rescue and vindicate the truth" for the sake of
those whom his fallacious arts may otherwise poison
and destroy.

It sometimes becomes necessary, for the truth's
sake, to take hold of such a man in argument with-
out ceremony, and deal with him somewhat as David
did with the bear which broke into his fold and com-
menced devouring his lambs. His object was not to
save the bear, but to save the lambs.

St. Paul furnislies a forcible illustration of this
principle. Paul and Barnabas, in a missionary tour
through the island of Cyprus, preached and had a
revival in the town of Paphos. Among the peni-
tents was "the deputy of the country, Sergius Paul-
us, a prudent man, who called for Barnabas and
Paul, and desired to hear the word of God. But
Elymus, the sorcerer, a false prophet and a Jew, with-
stood them, seeking to turn away the deputy from the
faith. Then Paul, fdlcd with the Holy Ghost, set his
eyes on him, and said, 0 full of all subtilty and all
mischief, thou child of the devil, thou enemy of all
righteousness, wilt thou not cease to pervert the
right ways of the Lord? And nov>', behold the hand
of the Lord is upon thee, and thou shalt be blind,
not seeing the sun for a season. And immediately
there fell on him a mist and a darkness ; nnd lie
went about seeking some to lead him by the hand."

APPROPRIATENESS. 231

Poor wretch! perhaps that was the onlj thing that
could bring him to repentance. " Then the deputy,
when he saw what was 'done, believed, being aston-
ished at the doctrine of the Lord.

In these two departments of Christian warfare,
Luther, Wesley, Fletcher, Watson, and a vast host of
others of different denominations, have done a great
work for the Church. On the same principles it often
becomes necessary still, in open debate, and other-
wise, to vindicate the truth, which, however, should
always be done in a Christian spirit. To these may
be added the " anathema maranatha," which was ap-
plied only to incorrigible souls on whom all the win-
ning appliances of the Gospel had been tried in vain.
But these two principles, however legitimate and im-
portant, and constituting an integral part of the great
system of salvation, are nevertheless different from
the rule I have so largely illustrated of directly win-
ning souls to Christ.

That you may the more clearly see that I have
given you the Gospel rule on that subject, I will give
a few specimen proofs from the book.

King David was guilty of a most aggravated and
atrocious crime, " and the Lord sent the prophet
Nathan unto him." How did the prophet approach
the apostate King? Did he go into the palace boiling
over with indignation, and break out against the King,
saying, "Thou vile wretch, what hast thou done?
Wherefore hast thou despised the commandment of
the Lord, to do evil in lii=^ sigl:t? Thou hast killed

232 THE MODEL PREACHER.

Uriah, tlie Hittite, v.it]i the sword, and hast taken hia
wife to be thy wife, and hast slain him w^ith the sword
of the children of Amnion. Xow, therefore, the
sword shall never depart from thy house." Had he
thus commenced on the points of disagreement, the
enraged King would probably have cut the prophet's
head off, and would then probably have gone straight
to hell, just for spite. Nathan understood his busi-
ness better than that. Calm and self-possessed, he
made his best bow to the fallen King, and entertained
him with an interesting story, that arrested his atten-
tion, touched his sympathies, and waked up his dor-
mant conscience on the side of justice and righteous-
ness ; and when he got the King fully committed by a
nail driven in a sure place, then he clinched it with an
application that swept from him his royal robes and
mantled him with sackcloth. Then the prophet
mauled him with his legal sledge-hammer till the old
King felt like his "bones were scattered at the grave's
mouth, as when one cuttcth and cleaveth wood asun-
der;" and he "ceased not his roaring, day and night,"
till the Lord pardoned his "]:Jood-guiltiness," brought
him up out of the horrible pit, established his goings,
and put a new sono; into his mouth.

Before the Savior proclaimed the searching, wither-
ing truths contained in his sermon on the mount, he
struck about a dozen of the tenderest chords of mu-
tual sympathy, in connection with as many m^ost affec-
tionate benedictions.

Christ and his apostles always, so far as they could

APPROPPvIATEXESS. 233

consistently ^vith the righteousness of their mission,
behaved in the most conciliatory manner toward the
Jews, conforming to all their customs and usages,
civil, social, and religious, as far as possible, without
a compromise of their principles.

St. Paul explains clearly the principle on which he
acted in this matter, saying, "For though I be free
from all men, yet have I made myself servant unto
all, that I might gain the more. And unto the Jews
I became as a Jew, that I might gain the Jews ; to
them that are under the law, as under the law, that I
might gain them that are under the law ; to them that
are without law, as without law, being not without
law to God, but under the law to Christ " — he did not
compromise his fidelity to God — " that I might gain
them that are without law; to the weak became I as
weak, that I might gain the weak: I am made all
things to all men, that I might by all means save
some. And this I do for the Gospel's sake, that I
might be partaker thereof wdth you."

St. Paul's practice conforms exactly to his theory
in this matter. He even went so far as to circumcise
Timothy, and went into the temple himself and had
his head shaved, and observed the forms of purifica-
tion, when he knew they w^ere of no service to him
w^hatever; but he could endure these things, and
hoped to conciliate and lead others to Christ by that
means. When preaching to the heathen he quoted
from their poets, illustrated from their games and cus-
toms, and was made all things to them that he "might

20

234 THE MODEL PREACHER.

by all means save some." "He was wise as a serpent,
yet harmless as a dove."

When, by permission of Captain Lysius, St. Paul
addressed the mob from the stairs of the Anto-
nian tower, he commenced thus : "Men, brethren and
fathers, hear ye my defense, which I now make unto
you." In the discourse which followed, he inter-
spersed with a pure Gospel, directly antagonistic to
the feelings and prejudices of his hearers, so many
points of agreement between him and them as to se-
cure their profound attention till after he had illus-
trated the power of the Gospel by his own wonderful
experience, and gave an account of his call to the
ministry, and his 'missionary call to the Gentiles.
Then the uproar commenced again. Had he com-
menced his sermon where he left off, he could not
have commanded a hearing for one minute. As it
was, he preached a discourse which astonished Captain
Lysius, who had taken him for a seditious Egyptian,
and sent home the shafts of truth to the hearts of
guilty thousands, and which probably resulted in the
salvation of many souls.

The last sermon of St. Stephen is a fine illustra-
tion of this rule. He gave the persecuting masses,
who were clamoring for his blood, the finest synopsis
of Jewish history they had ever heard in their lives,
and before they could break the charm of his elo-
quence he preached to them the whole summary of
the Gospel, with the consequence of its rejection, till
" they were cut to the heart.'' The mob, to be sure,

APPROPRIATENESS. 235

stoned him to death, because the Lord was pleased to
'•receive his spirit," and make that sermon, sealed
■\vith his blood, more effectual in the salvation of sin-
ners than the prolcmging of his life would have been.
It was then, doubtless, that the truth began to goad
the conscience of young Saul ; and although he made
havoc of the Church after that, he found it very hard
to kick against those goads, which, with the remem-
brance of the sermon and triumphant death of Ste-
phen, continued to prick his heart. Had Stephen
commenced his discourse with the points of disagree-
ment, which stood out like gleaming bayonets near its
close, the mob would not have listened to him ten
seconds; but, upon the principle I am advocating, he
preached one of the most powerful sermons on record.
The revelations of the judgment will show the num-
ber of sinners converted as the result of it. The
preacher fell— the first of an illustrious train of mar-
tyrs; but from the seed of his blood sprang up, in
due time, the great apostle of the Gentiles.

I will not further detain you with proofs and illus-
trations of my position from the example of the great
Teacher and apostolic usage. You will find them in
every sermon of Jesus and his primitive embassadors.

230 THE MODEL PREACHER,

LETTER XIII.

APPROPRIATENESS — CONTINUED.

My Dear Brother, — In illustrating to you the
fifth characteristic of the Savior's model for preach-
ing the Gospel, I proposed to deduce tltree rules nec-
essary to effective preaching :

1. A wise application of the law of sympathy,
which I have largely illustrated.

2. The law of direct appeal to the heart.

3. The law of direct approach to Christ.

The last two I will illustrate together. The great
Teacher and his apostles, after getting access to a
sinner's confidence, by a judicious application of the
law of sympathy, made a direct assault upon his
heart and conscience. They lost no time in the ap-
plication of outward forms and ceremonies, nor in
trying to cure him of particular sins, nor in the en-
forcement of special outward duties. Their object
direct was to convince him of the exceeding sinful-
ness of sin — the extreme blackness and guilt of his
heart, and strip him of all hope in any past or future
performances of his own.

St. Paul describes this state of hopeless bondage
revealed in the awakened soul by the convincing
Spirit. Personating the convicted sinner, he says :
"We know that the law is spiritual; but I am carnal,

APPROPRIATENESS. 237

sold under sin. For that which I do, I allow not :
for what I would, that do I not ; but what I hate, that
I do. If then I do that which I would not, I con-
sent unto the law that it is fj-ood." I acknowledo-e
the just claims of the law of God upon me, and 1
ought, and I desire, and I try to obey. " But I see
another law in mj members warring against the law
of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law
of sin which is in my members '' — the law of sinful
propensity and vicious habit. Having thus defined
the hopeless bondage of a soul in its sins, he illus-
trates it. To appreciate the apostle's illustration, my
brother, you must accompany him in your mind into
a Roman prison.

Prisons, at best, are uncomfortable places. I have
been in a great man^^ — always went in voluntarily, to
be sure ; I go in when I have opportunity, to see
how mj poor, guilty brothers get along there — and 1
never saw one yet that struck me as a desirable place
for residence ; but I suppose modern prisons are pal-
aces compared with the old Roman jails with which
St. Paul had a painfully-familiar acquaintance.

As you accompany the apostle across the thresh-
old, where hope bids adieu to many a criminal, the
grating of the massive doors on their rusty hinges
causes you to shudder. Dark and damp, filled
with poisonous vapors stifling you with stench, you
feel that you have entered the vestibule of hell.
Passing down the aisle, quaking with horror at every
step, your ears are saluted from the cells on each

238 THE MODEL PREACHER.

side ^vith the clanking of chains and hideous groans.
Poor prisoners ! they used to walk in the light of the
sun; had kind mothers and sisters to caress them.
Some of them have -wives and children whom they
have not seen for years, and may never see again.
But when you reach the dungeon — 0, such hideous
sounds never fell on your ears before ! What upon
earth is the matter ? Poor fellow, he must be strang-
ling ! Take a light and peep through the iron grating.
0, horrible ! What a sight ! Why, there 's a man
bound to a dead body — a decomposing human car-
cass, face to face, and limb to limb, securely lashed.
See how he struggles! Each effort to free himself
only brings him into more intimate contact with the
putrefying mass. Hear the broken sobs of his choked
emotions and his agonizing cries : " 0 wretched man
.that I am! who shall deliver me from this dead body?"
There, s^r, is the sinner's moral condition, as drawn
by the pen of inspiration. What shall be done for the
relief of such a case? Bring in spiritual advisers,
and try and do something for him before it is eter-
nally too late. Each one has a prescription for the
poor fellow. Old Mr. Harper, whom ,you used to
know in Virginia, after listening to the lamentation
of such a soul, said to him : '-'If that is your condi^
tion, I do n't vrant to have any thing to ,do with you,
I know you must be one of the reprobates, and J can
do nothing for you."

But, if you listen to the various advice of the com-
forters of the poor, imprisoned soul, you will hear one

APPrtOPRIATEXESS. 239

say, ''Be composed, my friend. There is no use in
so much excitement. Hold your peace, Bartimeus "

Another says, " Be of good cheer, my friend, God
has commenced a good work in your heart, and he
will surely carry it on."

Another, thinking his conviction not quite deep
enough, talks to him of death, judgment, and hell, and
says, "If the foretaste is so dreadful, my friend,
what must the pains of the second death be?" — the
poor fellow meantime crying, " 0 wretched man that
I am ! who shall deliver me from this dead body ?"

Another says to him, " Do n't be discouraged, my
brother. Pray on, and relief will come by and by.
The darkest hour is just before day."

Another prescribes a rule of life for him, saying,
"Read the Scriptures, and pray three times each day
in your closet; attend the class meetings and the
public means of grace; watch the risings of your bad
habits, and ask for strength to break them; and you
will gradually grow in grace, and overcome the power
of sin and Satan."

Another, "You had better join the Church, and
identify yourself with the people of God."

Another wishes to discuss the mode of baptism
with him.

Others desire to enlist his influence against certain
great evils of the land which they set forth before
him. One discusses the slavery question; another
advocates the temperance cause, and asks him to join
the society.

240 THE MODEL PREACHER.

Others wish early to ioipress him with the sinful
compromises of the Church, and bespeak his influ-
ence against them — sectarianism, and worldliness, and
extravagance in dress. Some wish him to go against
pews and organs in the churches — others try to en-
tertain him with questions of Church government,
lay representation, the presiding-elder question, and
the power of the bishops.

Then comes along a good brother, saying, " 'Blessed
are they that mourn : for they shall be comforted.
You are already blessed, my brother. Don't you
love the Savior? I think you have already found
comfort, if you would only believe it." The poor fel-
low cries again, " 0 wretched man that I am ! who
shall deliver me from this body of death?"

Then a humble disciple, "wise to win souls,"
kneels beside the despairing soul, and after invoking
the illumination of the Spirit, says, " This is a faith-
ful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ
Jesus came into the world to save sinners — even the
chief of sinners." " He is able to save, to the utter-
most, all that come unto God by him." His words,
but the repetition of what the poor struggling soul
had often heard, arc accompanied with such an unc-
tion of the Holy Spirit that they descend into his soul
like rain into the thirsty land. " Say not in thy
heart. Who shall ascend into heaven? that is, to
bring Christ down from above ; or. Who shall descend
into the deep ? that is, to bring up Christ again from
the dead. But what saith it?" What saith the Gos-

APPROPRIATENESS. 241

pel ? The Word — the living Word, in the fullness of
his saving mercy — is nigh thee. The desire thou now
feelest in thy heart, and express with thy mouth, is
proof that he is nigh thee — " Working in thee now to
will and to do his good pleasure." Submit to him,
my brother; venture your soul and body on his
might, his mercy, his atoning blood. "Believe in
the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved." Lay-
ing "hold of the hope set before him," and clinging
to Christ, as a drowning man to the last plank, the
penitent believes in his heart, and makes confession
with his mouth, exclaiming, " ^ I thank God through
Jesus Christ our Lord,' I have redemption — 'even
the forgiveness of sins.' ' There is, therefore, now no
condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who
walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. For the
law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made
me free from the law of sin and death ' " — the law of
sin which reigned in his members, and the death pen-
alty of the moral law. " For what the law could not
do, in that it was weak through the flesh" — the flesh
was too weak to fill its requirement, and, therefore, it
could do nothing but condemn and execute its penalty
on the guilty soul ; but what the law could not do, God
hath done by " sending his own Son in the likeness of
sinful flesh, and by a sacrifice for sin condemned sin in
the flesh" — passed sentence of death upon it that it
should be destroyed out of my heart by his death.
" That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in

U8 who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit."

•21

242 TUE MODEL PREACHER.

The moral law, which demands perfect obedience and
rectitude, and holds me, in default, subject to its pen-
alty of eternal death, accepts, as an equivalent for
perfect rectitude, which I never could render, the
love of Christ shed abroad in my heart through faith.
That is my receipt in full for all past claims of the
law against me, and that is the principle of righteous-
ness within, which the law approves. This living
faith, uniting me to Christ, as the branch to the vine,
works by love, purifies the heart, and manifests itself
in all appropriate good works. "As the branch can
not bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine,"
saith the great Teacher: "no more can ye, except ye
abide in me."

The first object, then, of apostolic preaching was
to pierce the sinner's heart with the sword of the
Spirit, and then without delay to bring him directly
to the great Physician.

Three thousand souls, under the preaching of Peter
at the great Pentecost, were thus awakened, convert-
ed, baptized, and admitted into the Church in a single
day.

Has the Gospel lost any of its power ? It remains
unchanged and unchangeable, unexhausted and inex-
haustible, because Jesus Christ is its soul and grand
impersonation — " the same yesterday, to-day, and for-
ever." How often, in apostolic times, did a w^eary,
heavy-laden sinner have to approach the Savior before
he could obtain relief? Why is it that the demon-
stration of the Spirit does not attend the preaching

APPROPRIATENESS. 243

of this same mighty Gospel with the same saving
effect noYf as then ? Is it not a want of faith on the
part of preachers and people ? Are we not, to an
alarming extent, substituting for living, purifying, ef-
fective faith, a system of forms, vows, rules for holy
living, and outward performances ? How little do we
know of those rules of direct appeal to the heart, and
direct approach to Christ, so patent in apostolic times !
We know that "the springs of Jericho" ought to
be healed. "The situation of the city" — the provi-
dential position of the Church — "is pleasant.'^ "But
the water is naught, and the ground is barren." We
have "the new cruse" of the Gospel full "of salt,"
and we doubt not its healing power, but instead of
casting it right into the fountain — the heart — we put
it a little w^ay down the stream, down in the outward
life, where we expect to see the fruit. But you in-
quire, " Shall we not give attention to the outward
life ? reprove sin of every kind, and enforce rules for
the regulation of the outward conduct?" Certainly;
but the way to do that effectually is to get the heart
right, to have " the cruse of salt cast into the spring,"
and heal the fountain. A corrupt fountain will send
forth a corrupt stream. "An evil tree will bring
forth evil fruit." If the fountain be pure the stream
will be pure, " and there shall not be from thence any
more death or barren land." 2 Kings ii, 21. "A
good tree bringeth forth good fruit," but any outward
fruitfulness which does not proceed from the healthy
sap of grace in the soul is of tho mock-orange

244 THE MODEL PREACHER.

stamp — worthless — or any exuberance of outward
fruit beyond the proportion of inward sap will require
such a wide circulation of the sap over so extensive a
surface of half-dead branches, that it can bring forth
but little fruit to perfection.

If the inward life exists in the soul, there will be
no difficulty in regulating its outward appropriate
manifestation. If that is lacking, every thing else is
utterly unavailing. " I may speak with the tongues of
men and of angels ; I may have the gift of prophecy,
and understand all mysteries and all knowledge ; and
may have all faith, so that I could remove mountains ;
I may give all my goods to feed the poor, and give
my body to be burned, and yet all these will be but
as sounding brass or a tinkling cymbal, and profit me
nothing, unless I have the love of God shed abroad in
my heart by the Holy Ghost given unto me."

"But how shall we get the sinner's heart right
unless we begin on the outside, and convince him of
his sins by setting them in dark array before him, and
teach him how to overcome them, and seek Christ in
trying to lead a new life ?" A general, in storming
a city, do n't stop to demolish every house and shanty
on his way, much less to discuss questions pertaining
to the municipal government of the city after he shall
have taken it. Such things, however important in
their place, are entirely out of order at such a time.
They would divert attention from the main question
of the day; consume the time on the proper use
of which the victory depends, and probably result

APPROPRIATENESS. 245

in a shameful defeat, instead of a glorious con^j[uest.
His one business is first to force a breach through the
walls, and batter down as many obstructions as are
necessary to give him a passage to the citadel, upon
which he impetuously rushes with all his concentra-
ted force, and carries it by storm. Having got pos-
session of the city, he can then demolish, and build
up, and regulate its government as occasion may re-
quire.

In storming a sinner's heart, my brother, heave
away with the battering-ram of legal thunder till you
force a breach. Do n't stop then to talk of the num-
ber and comparative turpitude of his sins, nor to
introduce questions of orthodoxy or rules of holy
living, but rush for the citadel — the conscience and
will — and having taken that, the poor sinner will feel
that the smallest sin he ever committed involves the
death penalty, and what he called his good works are
but '' filthy rags." Then — to change the application
of the figure — run with him, and show him how to
flee the wrath to come, to escape the pursuing aven-
ger, to rush into the kingdom of heaven — " the king-
dom of heaven suffereth violence, and the violent
take it by force." These, my brother, are but faint
glimpses of those potent laws manifest in apostolic
preaching, which I have denominated the law of
direct appeal to the heart, and the law of direct ap-
proach to Christ.

I had a talk with aunt Ellen, some months ago, on
tnis subject. Her hobby, you know, is plainness of

246 THE MODEL P REACH ER.

dress, and she is so tliorougliiy posted on all the^
authorities on the subject, from St. Paul down, that
it is no use for any body to try to oppose her, should
they desire to do so. She is so strict and sensitive
on the subject, that the preacher who came along
wearing a satin vest, or a gold watch, or preacher's
wife v.earing a silk dress, had to listen to a sermon
on dress they never would forget. Aunt Ellen, too,
though a merchant's wife, is herself an example of
plainness, and so unquestionably pious, that her words
have great weight, but she talks so much on that one
subject, that a person in her company can scarcely
think of any thing else.

The day of our little discussion we were traveling
on horseback through the woodlands from her house
to grandma's. Before w^e got out of sight of home
she introduced her favorite theme, and urged me to
exert my power toward arresting the progress of
pride and extravagance of dress, which were destroy-
ing the vitality of the Church, and reducing thousands
of fiimilies to bankruptcy.

I was too nearly of her mind as to the enormity of
the evil to admit of a dispute on the main question,
but I ventured to say, that by harping on that one
question, or any other pertaining to the outward life,
so much, there was danger of exciting the prejudices
of the persons we wish to benefit against us, so as to
weaken our influence over them for good, and by
making a secondary question so prominent, we might
divert their attention from the vital thing of boking

APPROPRIATENESS. 247

unto Jesus, and defeat our designs by our well-ineant
but misdirected zeal.

*-0, brother T.," she replied, "none of the com-
mands of God are of secondary importance. The
Scriptures positively prohibit ' the putting on of gold
and costly apparel,' and there is no danger of dealing
too severely vrith sin."

I admit that every thing in the Scriptures is im-
portant, and should be carried into practical effect
according to tlie design of the Lawgiver, but some
things even in the Scriptures are more important
than others. St. Paul enumerates a great many im-
portant things -which vre may possess, and yet be des-
titute of the most important thing — the inward life —
the love of God in the heart. All besides profit
us nothing. To produce a sound outward reforma-
tion, we must give special attention to the essential
thino: of o:ettin2; the heart rio;ht. Gain access to the
heart by some means; begin inside and work outward,
instead of spending all our time in vainly trying
to correct outvrard evils while the fountain remains
impure.

One-ideaism, which is a dangerous form of fanati-
cism, whether it pertain to plainness of dress, or tem-
perance, or any theological dogma — no matter how
valuable in itself — almost invariably becomes so perti-
nacious as to divert attention from every thing_ else,
and taking hold only on the outward life, either in re-
proving and trying to correct certain evils, or in the
endless discussion of some dogmatical question, its

248 THE MODEL PREACHER.

effect upon the vital question of looking unto Jesus,
the author and finisher of our faith, is decidedly bad.
In constantly obtruding your one idea upon persons,
you begin on the outside — raise the points of disa-
greement first — strike the discords of their souls, and
thus excite their dread or hate, so that you can not
lead them to Christ as you might otherwise do.

After some talk further on both sides of the ques-
tion, aunt Ellen said in a surprise, '-Brother T.,
which way are we going? We have got into the
•wrong path. How did we come to miss the way?
Did you see w^here wo turned off?"

*' No, aunt," I replied, " my attention w^as occupied
with the subject of our talk, and I took no notice of
which w^ay we were going. That, too, is just in ac-
cordance with my position — draw ofi" the mind in end-
less discussions about secondary matters, and we are
sure to get out of the path."

" Come, brother T.," she replied, " you must
not be too hard with me till we get out of the
w^oods."

On we went till, coming to a road, we met a col-
ored man driving a wagon and team.

"Uncle Daniel," said aunt, ''can you tell me the
way to mother's ?"

" Yes^ missus ; jis down dar de road crosses and
go up dat ridge."

" How far is it, uncle Daniel, to where the road
crosses?"

" 0, jis down in dat holler. I show you." So the

APPROPRIATENESS. 249

kind-hearted fellow jumped off liis horse and ran to
show us the way.

As we passed along, said I, " Uncle Daniel, are you
acquainted with Jesus ?''

" 0 yes, bless de Lord, I knows Jesus any whars."
" Hov/ long since you got acquainted with Jesus?"
" 0, praise de Lord, I knows him for years."
"How do you like him, uncle Daniel?"
*-0, I likes him first-rate. He de best friend to
poor cohered man yet."

"He improves on acquaintance, do n't he?"
"0 yes, glory to King Jesus, I loves him better
and better."

" Good-by, uncle Daniel."
"0, mus' you go ?"

"Yes, uncle Daniel, I must go; but we'll meet
again ^ right early in the morning;' we '11 shake hands
again on the ^ other side of the river.' Will you meet
me, uncle Daniel?"

" 0 yes, glory to King Jesus, I meets you up dar
in de morning."

Said aunt Ellen, as we passed up the ridge,
"Brother T., the colored people about here think you
are more than mortal."

" Well, now, aunt Ellen, I did not think of it dur-
ing my little talk with uncle Daniel, but it strikes me
that this is another wayside illustration of my argu-
ment. If I had commenced on the outside of that
colored man, and struck a discordant note or two to
begin with, I could not have reached his heart in an

250 THE MODEL PREACHER.

hour, perhaps not at all ; but I commenced on the in-
side of the colored brother, raised a few points of
agreement, and see how the flood-tide of his heart's
emotions flowed out. I could now tell him in all
plainness, as a brother, whatever I should find within
him, or in his conduct, contrary to the spirit of the
Gospel, with the confident hope of correcting his
irregularities. A foolish fondness for superfluities of
dress and other forms of extravagance, and many
other things in the Church, ought to be reproved and
removed; but there is a right way and a wrong way to
go about it. If you can not accomplish it by what I
believe to be the Gospel mode, which I have been ad-
vocating, I am clearly of the opinion that you never
will by any other mode. I am as much in favor of
amputating the diseased members of the body as
you can be, but we should always consult the inward
strength and vitality of the patient, and use the knife
as promptly as the suff*erer can bear it without too
great a hazard of life."

Aunt Ellen, without changing her views of plain-
ness— a thing I did not wish her to do — admitted that
she had not pursued the more excellent way in pre-
senting and pressing her cause, and promised, in the
future, to begin on the points of agreement, gain ac-
cess to the heart, conduct that heart to Christ, and in
the light of the cross, and by the purifying blood of
sprinkling, reveal and remove the evils of the outward
life.

THE MASTER'S MODEL. 251

LETTER XIV.

THE MASTER'S MODEL.

My Dear Brother, — In elaborating and illustra-
ting what I believe to be the leading characteristics of
the model preacher's mode of preaching the Gospel,
though I have been somewhat lengthy in drawing
them out in their practical application to the demands
of the present times, I designed my treatment of the
subject to be rather suggestive than exhaustive. I
know I have not exhausted my theme, and feel inca-
pable of doing it justice ; I hope I have not exhaust-
ed your patience. While I have in part proved from
divine and apostolic precedent the various essential
elements of my model as I proceeded with the discus-
sion, it remains for me now to bring out its different
parts in their symmetrical combination, and compare
the model as a whole with the Gospel standard ; and
then, in conclusion, to show, a§ far as my space will
allow, by specimen extracts from some of the m.ost
popular pulpit orators of different centuries, that
the success of the embassadors of Christ, from the
call of the apostles down to the present period,
has depended on their conformity to their Master's
model, and that their success in movins the masses,
and preaching the Gospel effectively, has been exactly
proportionate to the degree of their conformity to it.

252 THE MODEL PREACHER.

The leading characteristics, then, of the great Teach-
er's model are :

I. Clearness.

II. Earnestness.

III. Naturalness.

IV. Literalness.

y. Appropriateness, or a wise adaptation of
truth to the living subject.

I need not here repeat my definition of these essen-
tial elements of pulpit power. I might have added
the unction of the Spirit as a distinct point, but I have
taken the ground that the unction of the Spirit must
pervade the whole to give them efficiency in leading
sinners to Christ, and then at last perform the work
of applying the remedy and saving the soul.

The Holy Spirit needs, and hence employs, human
instrumentality in the great business of soul-saving,
but the saving effect can only be secured by the om-
nipotent strength of the holy Trinity. " It is God
that justifieth." ''It is Christ that died, yea, rather,
that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of
God, who also maketh intercession for us." It is the
Holy Spirit that "convinces the sinner of sin,"
"works in him both to will and to do of his good
pleasure," makes "him free from the law of sin and
death," delivers him from the power of darkness, and
"translates him into the kingdom" of Jesus, and
finally seals him "unto the day of redemption," and
then "quickens the mortal bodies" of the saints, and
resurrects them in the likeness of their risen Savior.

THE MASTER'S MODEL'. 253

The love of God the Father is, therefore, the origin-
ating cause of our salvation — " God so loved the
world that he gave his only-begotten Son."

The atoning sacrifice of Christ is the meritorious
cause. " We have redemption through his blood,
even the forgiveness of sins."

The present energy of the Holy Ghost is the effi-
cient appropriating cause. These combined forces of
God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy
Ghost cooperate with the instrumental cause involved
in the model I have given, and with all other moral
appliances God is pleased to employ in the world.
No power short of the omnipotence of the holy Trin-
ity can save a soul from death, and yet we are by
Divine appointment "workers together with God" in
this business ; therefore, my brother, " study to show
thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth
not to be ashamed, ri";htlv dividino^ the word of
truth."

"The pattern given us on the holy mount" — the
model I have presented — is the only one you need to
work by, for all the characteristics defining that model
are clearly and directly manifested in every example
recorded of divine and apostolic teaching. If an ex-
ception there be to this remark, it is in naturalness,
which, pertaining principally to manner, we have to
gather mainly by implication. We know that the
honest simplicity of Jesus and his apostles would not
in any case permit affectation. Needless formality
and unnatural stiffness in gestures or intonations are

254 THE MODEL PREACHER.

equally inconsistent with their character and calling.
And from the social habits of the God-man, his fa-
miliar intercourse with the people of all classes, and
the effect of his preaching upon them, wo are warrant-
ed in the conclusion that his naturalness of gesture,
tones of voice, forms of expression, every thing, Avere
perfect. The direct appeals to the heart, and simple
touches that intersperse the Savior's discourses, and,
indeed, the spirit, tone, and attendant circumstances
of every discourse, all bear testimony to the perfec-
tion of his naturalness.

The apostles, doubtless, adopted his model, and
clearly manifest all its characteristics in their Gospel
ministrations. The matter of their discourses differs
from that of the Savior's in that, while he preached
the Gospel in its incipiency, they added the startling
facts of the crucifixion, resurrection, and ascension of
their Lord, and the descent of the Holy Ghost, with
the signs following, and preached the Gospel in its
full development.

Jesus built the Gospel arch, and by his death pre-
pared the keystone, which, after his resurrection, he
fitted in its place, binding the whole arch. The Holy
Spirit descended and cleared away the scaffolding
and rubbish, and reflected the divine glory upon it,
and anointed his embassadors, according to the prom-
ise contained in the last words of their ascending
Sovereign, to go forth as " witnesses of these things
throughout Judea, and Samaria, and Galilee, and to
the uttermost parts of the earth," "to preach the Gos-

THE MASTER'S MODEL. 255

pel to every creature," and invite a -world of .sinners
lost to enter through this " new and living way" into
the Eden of love to the tree of life, and obtain inher-
itance among the sanctified in heaven.

When you familiarize your mind, my brother,
with the points I have named contained in the
Savior's model, you will see them standing out so
prominently in every recorded sermon in the Bible
that I need hardly make another selection from the
book in proof or illustration of their correctness ; and
yet I may be permitted to hold up my model by the
light of a few more specimens of Gospel sermonizing,
that you may see more clearly its conformity to the
divine pattern. I do not propose to introduce any
new mode, but simply to define and bring more clearly
to light the good old mode that worked so well
eighteen hundred years ago.

Once when Jesus was preaching, "Behold a certain
lawyer stood up and tempted him, saying, Master,
what shall I do to inherit eternal life?" The Master,
to test his knowledge of the moral law, and to com-
mit him to that standard — it is no use to argue with a
man unless he will subscribe to some test-standard —
proposed to him this question: "What is written in
the law? how readest thou? And he, answering, said.
Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart,
and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and
with all thy mind, and thy neighbor as thyself. And
he said unto him, Thou Hast answered right; this do,
and thou shalt live. But he, willing to justify himself,

256 THE MODEL PREACHER.

said unto Jesus, And -who is my neighbor?" If
Jesus had produced an abstract argument to prove
that his neighbors were not confined to his own sect,
the Jewish Church, but also embraced the members
of other nations, he might have argued for an hour
without getting the lawyer to concede a single point.
If he had said to the legal gentleman, ^-A Samaritan
is your neighbor," he would have taken it as an in-
sult. What! a dog my neighbor? But the wise
Teacher brought out the point of his argument with
irresistible force by a simple literal illustration, say-
ing, ^' A certain man went down from Jerusalem to
Jericho, and fell among thieves, which stripped him
of his raiment, and wounded him, and departed, leav-
ing him half dead." The attention of every hearer
was wide awake now to hear about th(f tragedy on
that dangerous road. (But what had that to do with
the question?) "And by chance there came down a
priest that way." Ah! he will help his poor bleeding
brother. No. "When he saw him he passed by on
the other side." (A surprise.) " And likewise a Le-
vite, when he was at the place, came and looked on
him." Ah! the sight will affect his heart, and he will
pity and help his dying brother. Nay; he turned his
back upon him, "and passed by on the other side."
(Another surprise.) "But a certain Samaritan, as he
journeyed, came where he was." Ah! there is such
relentless hate existing between the Jews and Samari-
tans th;it he will show him no mercy. If his own
brethren will not even speak a word of comfort to hia

THE MASTER'S MODEL. 257

dying ears, we may expect his enemy to give him a
kick as he passes, and mutter malicious satisfaction
over his downfall. Nay : *' When the Samaritan saw
him he had compassion on him, and went to him, and
bound up his wounds, pouring in oil and wine, and set
him on his own beast, and brought him to an inn, and
took care of him. And on the morrow, when he de-
parted, he took out two pence and gave them to the
host, and said unto him. Take care of him, and what-
soever thou spendest more, when I come again I will
repay thee.'' The greatest surprise of all ; for though
hated as a dog by the Jews, he did not simply say,
"I'm sorry for thee, my friend;" nor, "Here's a
penny, and if every body else will do as much for thee,
thou wilt do well." Nay, he did for him every thing
that he needed — was physician and nurse ; put him on
his own horse, and walked along side and held him on ;
did not send him off to some alms-house or charity-
hospital, but took him to the inn, and watched with
him that night till he saw him out of danger, and be-
came responsible for his board at the hotel till he
should entirely recover. Then inquired Jesus of the
lawyer, "Which, now, of these three, thinkest thou,
was neighbor unto him that fell among the thieves?
And he said. He that showed mercy on him" — an
admission from the lawyer that even a Samaritan was
a neighbor. " Then said Jesus unto hiiji, Go and do
thou likewise" — be a* neighbor, not to your own peo-
ple simply, but to all men — not to friends only, but to
enemies.

22

258 THE MODEL PREACHER.

Do you not see, my brother, the clearness, tho
earnestness, the naturalness, the literalness, and ap-
propriateness of this specimen of the Savior's preach-
ing? You may select any other example you please,
and the result will be the same.

Take an example of apostolic preaching: Peter
preached to vast multitudes in Solomon's porch. He
had a literal illustration of his subject in the person
of the lame man, who had just been healed at the
beautiful gate of the temple. He had "leaped, and
walked, and praised God," till the audience, drawn
together by his shouts, " were filled with wonder and
amazement at that which had happened unto him."

Peter's sermon on the occasion is thus reported by
Dr. Luke : " Ye men of Israel, why marvel ye at this?
or why look ye so earnestly on us, as though by our
own power or holiness we had made this man to walk ?
The God of Abraham, and of Isaac, and of Jacob,
the God of our fathers [he begins with the points of
agreement] hath glorified his Son Jesus, whom ye de-
livered up, and denied him in the presence of Pilate,
when he was determined to let him go. But ye de-
nied the Holy One and the Just, and desired a mur-
derer to be granted unto you ; and killed the Prince
of life, whom God hath raised from the dead; whereof
we are witnesses." Great principles and arguments
couched in literal facts versus abstract principles,
terms, and theories. ''And his name, through faith
in his name, hath made this man strong, whom ye
Bee and know : yea, the faith which is by him hath

THE MASTER'S MODEL. 259

given him this perfect soundness in the presence of
you all." Plain dealing that. It would be well to
strike another chord of mutual sympathy noAV between
people and preacher, lest the repulsion should drive
them away from 'him. Peter understood that, and
continues in great tenderness, "And now, brethren, I
wot that through ignorance ye did it, as did also your
rulers.'' But still ye did not defeat the purpose of God
concerning the sacrifice of his Son. "But those things
which God before had shewed by the mouth of all his
prophets, that Christ should suffer, he hath so fulfilled.
Repent ye, therefore, and ^e converted, that your sins
may be blotted out, when the» times of refreshing shall
come from the presence of the Lord. And he shall
send Jesus Christ, which before was preached unto
you; whom the heaven must receive till the times
of restitution of all things, which God hath spoken
by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world
began. For Moses truly said unto the fathers, A
prophet shall the Lord your God raise up unto you
of your brethren, like unto me ; him shall ye hear in
all things whatsoever he shall say unto you. And it
shall come to pass, that every soul which will not
hear that prophet shall be destroyed from among the
people. Yea, and all the prophets from Samuel, and
those that follow after, as many as have spoken, have
likewise foretold of these days." Would it not be
well to strike another chord of mutual sympathy, and
draw the people a little closer to the preacher? 0,
yes; the preacher, though his earnest zeal swept like

1^60 THE MODEL PREACHER.

Niagara, had a heart full of love, and understood his
business, and continues, "Ye are the children of the
prophets, and of the covenant which God made with
our fathers, saying unto Abraham, And in thy seed
shall all the kingdoms of the earth be blessed. Unto
you first, God having raised up his Son Jesus, sent
him to bless you, in turning away every one of you
from his iniquities."

Though he dealt so plainly, he held the people to
the last; but "the priests, and the captain of the
temple, and the Sadducees, came upon them, being
grieved that they taught the people, and preached
through Jesus the resurrection from the dead. And
they laid hands on them, and put them in hold till
the next day; for it was now eventide." "HoAvbeit,
many of them which heard the word believed." Ah,
that sermon did execution among the sinners, and yet
our reporter do n't make a great noise over it, as
though it was an extraordinary thing. It was just
what their faith in tlie mighty Gospel anticipated.

Well, Dr. Luke, how "many of them which heard
the word believed?"

" The number of the men was about five thousand."

Amazing ! Why, in these days of modern improve-
ments, if we get one hundred converted during a
month's hard labor, we think we have done a won-
derful business, and publish the news all over the
continent.

The next day Peter and John, accompanied by
their living literal illustration of Gospel power, stood

THE MASTER'S MODEL. 2G1

before the Snnhedrim, and Peter, in his defense,
preached the Gospel to them. ^'When they had set
them in the midst,'' says Dr. Luke, " they asked, By
what power, or by what name have ye done this?

^' Then Peter, filled with the Holy Ghost, said unto
them. Ye rulers of the people, and elders of Israel,
if we this day be examined of the good deed done to
the impotent man" — he '^pleaded guilty" to a ''good
deed" — "by what means he is made whole: be it
known unto you all, and to all the people of Israel,
that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom
ye crucified, whom God raised from the dead, even by
him doth this man stand here before you whole. This
is the stone which was set at naught of your builders,
which is become the head of the corner. Neither is
there salvation in any other ; for there is none other
name under heaven given among men, whereby we
must be saved. Now, when they saw the boldness of
Peter and John, and perceived that they were un-
learned and ignorant men, they marveled" — if they
were so ignorant, why did not some of their learned
doctors put in a rejoinder, that would confound and
silence them? — "and they took knowledge of them,
that they had been with Jesus." Yes, and they were
graduates in the school of Christ. "And beholding
the man which w^as healed standing with them, they
could say nothing against it." Finding that they had
so bad a cause, they commanded the sherifi" to take
the men out of court, till the judges could hold a con-
sultation; and when they had gone "aside out of the

262 THE MODEL PREACHER.

council, tliey conferred among themselves, saying,
What shall we do with these men? for that indeed a
notable miracle hath been done by them, is manifest
to all them that dwell in Jerusalem ; and we can not
deny it. But that it spread no further among the
people, let us straightly threaten them, that they
speak henceforth to no man in this name. And they
called them, and commanded them not to speak at all
nor teach in the name of Jesus. But Peter and John
answered and said unto them, Whether it be right in
the sight of God to hearken unto you more than unto
God, judge ye. For we can not but speak the things
which we have seen and heard. So, when they had
further threatened them, they let them go, finding
nothing how they might punish them, because of the
people : for all men glorified God for that which was
done. For the man was above forty years old on
whom this miracle of healing was showed."

The preacher's clearness, in both the specimens just
given, shines out luminously in his terms, proposi-
tions, arguments, proofs — in the directness of his
appeals of application — every thing. His earnestness
was that of a devoted hero Avho had a life to lay down
for his cause, not on the altar of ambition, but on the
altar of human redemption, on which his divine Mas-
ter, "who for the joy that was set before him" — the
joy of saving perishing sinners — poured out his heart's
blood ; no worldly honors taken into the account, but
love, all-conquering love to God and man, constituted
the motive power that carried him with resistless

THE MASTER'S MODEL. 2t)8

energy over the combined forces of earth and hell ,
and yet his earnestness, in the impetuosity of its flow,
did not destroy his naturalness^ and his Uteralness
stands out in every word. He did not need in that
case to multiply literal figures to arrest attention, or
to illustrate his subject ; he had a literal figure in the
person of the happy man, healed of his impotency,
standing up before his audience, a living illustration
of Gospel power — St. Paul was fond of such illustra-
tions, and called them ''living epistles known and
read of all men" — but his facts were of the most
definite, personal, literal character — nothing abstract,
nor ambiguous, nor redundant ; and his wise adapta-
Hon of truth to the hearers is seen in the effect pro-
duced. He struck the chords of mutual sympathy, to
begin with, and restruck them as often as necessary,
to draw the people within reach of his Gospel sword,
and also strikingly exemplified what I have called the
laws of direct appeal to the heart and of direct
approach to Christ — no irrelevancy, no unnecessary
circumlocution, nor formality. With means perfectly
adapted to the end, he plied them, by the power "of
the Holy Spirit, with definiteness, promptness, and
efficiency. He was a preacher after the model of his
Master.

" And Peter and John, after their release, went
to their own company, and reported all that the
chief priests and elders had said unto them." The
company of disciples immediately engaged in a
prayer meeting, and returned ^thanks to God. Dr.

264 THE MODEL PKEACHER.

Luke lias reported a specimen of their prayers,
which is marked by the same clearness, earnest-
ness, naturalness, literalness, and appropriateness
which characterized their preaching.

Naturalness in prayer is not the familiar collo-
quial style common in addressing an equal or an
inferior. Such a style would be very unnatural in
pleading for the life of a criminal at the bar, or
in presenting a petition to a sovereign, and such
addressed to God grates very irreverently on my
ear. Judah's style, in pleading his cause before
the governor of Egypt, was doubtless perfectly
natural, and yet it was very different from his ad-
dress to his father.

The law of naturalness which I have in part illus-
trated, applying to every kind of address to God or
men, does not tie us down to any set of tones or
forms. Its manifestations vary with the heart's emo-
tions, and are regulated by the law of appropriate-
ness, indicated by the circumstances of the occasion,
and the instincts of common-sense.

Carefully examine this specimen of prayer : " And
when they heard that, they lifted up their voice tc
God with one accord, and said. Lord, thou art God,
which hast made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and
all that in them is : who, by the mouth of thy serv-
ant, hast said. Why did the heathen rage, and the
people imagine vain things ? The kings of the earth
stood up, and the rulers were gathered together
against the Lord, and against his Christ. For of a

THE MASTER'S MODEL. 2G5

truth against thy holy chikl Jesus, whom thou hast
anointed, both Herod, and Pontius Pilate, with the
Gentiles, and the people of Israel, were gathered to-
gether, for to do whatsoever thy hand and thy coun-
sel determined before to be done. And now. Lord,
behold their threatenings : and grant unto thy serv-
ants, that with all boldness they may speak thy word,
by stretching forth thine hand to heal ; and that signs
and wonders may be done by the name of thy holy
child Jesus. And when they had prayed, the place was
shaken where they were assembled together ; and they
were filled with the Holy Ghost, and they spake the
word of God with boldness."

No abstract generalizing in that prayer; no stereo-
typed quotations, thrown in to fill up or to ornament
the performance; no prayer for every body in general
and nobody in particular; no stifi" formality. It was
profoundly reverent, yet simple, natural, clear, earn-
est, literal, and well-timed in every particular, and
brought down the power. In a revival I always put
the new converts to praying in public as early as
practicable ; because, having learned no form of
prayer, and having adopted no stiff, unnatural, inap-
propriate modes, they come right to the subject, and
in all simplicity pray with personal definiteness for
their brothers, and sisters, and friends, and ask di-
rectly for ''whatsoever they desire."

I once conducted a revival in Virginia, and organ-
ized a large class, in a new field, Avhere there was not
one old member to furnish a stereotyped formula for

266 THE MODEL PREACHER.

the young soldiers to work bj, and hence they all
talked and prayed in appropriate simplicity, which
seldom ever failed to wake my heart's emotions, and
waked up all saints and sinners who attended our
meetings. It is a great thing to have fathers and
mothers in Israel, if they can truthfully be called
" nursing fathers and mothers," "who can develop the
growing powers of the babes in Christ, and not wrap
them up. like Egyptian mummies in the swaddling
bands of lifeless formxS and stiff, unnatural modes.

An old fellow, by the name of Ratcliff, was con-
verted at a meeting I held once, and when he went to
class the first time, never having heard any one speak
in class, and being called on at the opening of the meet-
ing to state his experience, he arose and told it just
as it was, and sat dov;n. The next one that spoke
closed in the old way, " Kemember me at a throne of
grace when it goes well with you, that I may be kept
faithful till death, and at last receive a crown of
life." Brother Ratcliff listened attentively till the last
sentence closed, and sprang to his feet, saying, "I
declare, brothers and sisters, I forgot that, but any of
you, when it goes well with you, please to remember
me in your prayers, that I may be kept faithful till
death, and also get a crown of life."

You observe, my brother, that while the essential
elements of pov^-er embraced in the Gospel model
for preaching, are definite, and invariably success-
ful in the results of their application, they are so
general as not to tie us down to any set of forms,

THE MASTER'S MODEL. 267

but are like the Gospel itself, equally well adapted to
all ages, all countries, all languages, and all the nat-
ural and moral varieties of human kind. Nor do
they require that all persons should pursue the same
plan for presenting and enforcing truth. One may
be naturally adapted to excel in argument, another in
exhortation, another in illustration. All the diversity
of gifts found in the Church, both in the ministry
and in the laity, may, in all their variety, be directed
and effectively applied by this model.

St. Paul, to-day, would be "made all things to all
men, that by all means he might save some," with the
same facility of adaptation that he exhibited eighteen
hundred years ago.

The great Teacher, who always adapted his illus-
trations to the occasion and to the condition of his
hearers, would to-day, on the same principles which
characterize his model, illustrate his sermons by every
striking, familiar object of these times — railroads,
steamships, telegraphs — every familiar thing which
he could lay under contribution to convey Gospel
truth to the heart, and fix it on the memory of his
hearers.

The Gospel, with the divinely-instituted mode of
proclaiming it, should produce the same saving effect
to-day that it did v.dien preached by St. Peter.

The miracle-working power of that day gave them
an advantage that we do not enjoy; but the cumiula-
tive fruits of the effectual working of the Spirit in the
salvation of successive millions ought to make up

268 THE MODEL PREACHER.

fully for our deficiency in that particular, for the
power of the Holy Ghost in raising dead souls, cre-
ating them anew in Christ Jesus, is much greater than
the power necessary to raise dead bodies. Jesus, on
one occasion, sent out his apostles two and two, on a
missionary tour, and when on their return, in present-
ing their report, they spoke of the miracle-working
power which they had been enabled to exercise,
saying, "Even the devils are subject unto us;" to
which he replied, "Rejoice not at this, but rather re-
joice that yournames are written in heaven" — teaching
them that to have their names written in heaven was
much more a matter of rejoicing than the power to
work miracles. The regenerating, sanctifying, seal-
ing power of the Spirit is as available now as then.
The power to work miracles was but incidental to
this, and would still be continued as manifestly
as ever, were it necessary to the great purpose of
saving the world; but their perpetuation visibly to the
observation of men would have classed them long ago
with other marvelous things, as the result of some
uniform law of nature, and would thus have defeated
the very object for which they were instituted. But
all the exhaustless resources of Gospel grace, in all
their saving power, are just as available now for the
salvation of the wor^d, as they were under the
preaching of St. Paul.

If you will take the Savior's model for preaching,
my brother, and carefully review the history of the
Chtirch, you will find that the success of God's min-

THE MASTER'S MODEL. 269

isters has always been proportionate to the degree
of their comformitj to it.

Why was it that Whitefield had such power over
the masses, and preached the Gospel with such suc-
cess ? Because, as a man of great natural force, and
called of God to the work of the ministry, he con-
formed to the Master's model. He had clearness —
a clear conception of his points, arguments, and
illustrations, and hence presented them clearly. He
had earnestness — a soul of fire, thrilled with " the
burden of the Lord" to perishing sinners, and the
tidings of mercy for stricken hearts. He had natu-
ralness. He used to say that he talked to the people
in their "market language." He had literalness.
He brought great Gospel principles to light through
literal facts and figures, and had but little to do with
metaphysics in the pulpit. He wisely adapted the
truth to the condition of his hearers.

The same is true of Wesley. He had greater
clearness than Whitefield, equal earnestness of soul,
though less physical force and vehemence of manner.
He also possessed an equal degree of naturalness and
literalness. Wesley used many literal figures of illus-
tration, but more literal facts. Metaphysical abstrac-
tions in the pulpit were out of the question in his
ministry. His wise adaptation of truth to the occa-
sion and circumstances of his hearers was a leading
feature of his preaching.

Summerfield is another example. That is the
secret of Spurgeon's success. " 0, but is he not a

270 THE MODEL P E E A C H E R .

higli-tonecl Calvinist? And docs he not run into a
great many extravagant eccentricities of style?" I
admit all that, and reply. If vrith these defects his
approximate conformity to the Savior's model give
him so much pulpit power, Avhat would he not accom-
plish Avere his conformity so perfect as to remove all
these defects? *

James Caughey is another example. " Ah, but he
can't preach." Yet his efforts in trying to preach
embrace the essential elements of power contained in
the Savior's model ; and if they secure such wonderful
success in soul-saving by the ministry of a man who
" can't preach," as no other man in modern days can
claim, Avliat might not some of our learned D. D.'s,
who can preach, accomplish if they but conformed to
the Gospel model ?

Henry Yf ard Beecher is another example. Though
not so successful in saving sinners as the others I
have mentioned, yet he conforms to the model sufiS-
ciently to give him extraordinary povrer over the
masses, and is, I believe, accomplishing a good
work.

John B. Gough, as a temperance lecturer, is a good
illustration of the truth of my position. Listen to
one of his master-speeches, and you will say, "Clear-
ness, earnestness, naturalness, literalness, and appro-
priateness constitute the essential and sole elements
of his power."

A great many preachers have a considerable degree
of clearness, and a still greater degree of earnestness,

THE MASTER'S MODEL. 271

and hence have great power, and accomplish much
good, for these are essential elements of power, as
before shown; but they, being defective in naturalness
and literalness, wield perhaps but half the power for
good their capacity and position v/ould warrant,
were their naturalness and literalness equal to their
clearness and earnestness. Some have a degree of
all these characteristics of the great model, and in the
same proportion they have power. Any single one
of those elements will give a man power; all of them,
in any considerable degree, wiJl constitute what is
called "a man of mark." I suppose that means a
man who is '• making his mark '' in the world.

These rules do not apply exclusively to ministers
alone, but to witnesses of Jesus in all their va-
riety.

It is said that a celebrated minister prepared and
preached a course of sermons against infidelity for the
purpose specially of convincing and bringing over to
Christianity an intelligent infidel neighbor, Avho was a
regular attendant at his Church. Just after the close
of the said series of sermons, the infidel professed to
experience religion, and the preacher vfas anxious to
knov/ which of his sermons did the execution.

Soon after the new convert, in relating his expe-
rience, said: ''The instrument God was pleased to use
for my awakening and conversion vras not the preach-
ing of those sermons against infidelity, but the simple
remark of a poor old colored Avoman. In going down
the steps of the church one night, seeing that the

272 THE MODEL P II E A C II E 11 .

poor old woman was lame, I gave her mj hand, and
assisted her.

'' She looked up at mo with a peculiar expression
of grateful pleasure, saying, ' Thank you, sir. Do
you love Jesus, my blessed Savior V

" I was dumb. I could not answer that question.

" She said 'Jesus, my blessed Savior,' vrith so much
earnest confidence, that I could not deny that she had
a blessed Savior, and felt ashamed to confess that I
did not love him. I could not dismiss the subject
from my mind, and the more I thought of it the clear-
er my convictions became that the old colored sister
had a Jesus, a blessed Savior ; and I thought of how
kind a Savior he must be to impart such joy and com-
fort to such poor, neglected creatures as she was ; and
I soon began to weep over my base ingriititude in de-
nying and rejecting such a Savior. I earnestly sought
that Savior, and found him ; and now I can sny, I do
love Jesus, my blessed Savior."

In that simple remark of the old colored woman
there was clearness of faith, a joyous confidence that
shook the foundation of the infidel's refuge of lies.
It had earnestness in it. The old sister was very
grateful for a small favor, and very solicitous about
the soul of the kind stranger. You may be sure there
was naturalness in it ; and as for its literalness, the ad-
dress was personal, the question was personal, her tes-
timony to having a Jesus her Savior was personal and
real — nothing indefinite or abstract about it; and the
Holy Spirit gave the whole an appropriateness of appli

THE MASTER'S MODEL. 273

cation which knocked the underpinning out of his infi-
del fort, and the walls that withstood the "great guns"
of ihe preacher tumbled down as suddenly as the walls
of Jericho at the blast of the rams' horns.

George W., a strong Cincinnati lawyer, attended
a revival meeting held by Rev. H. Hayes, a friend of
mine, for the avowed purpose of showing up the fal-
lacy of revealed religion, but before the meeting
closed George v/as powerfully converted to God.

Brother Hayes had fired his Gospel gun at him a
number of times, and thought he had hit him. All
were desirous to know the instrumentality God had
used in his conversion.

There was at the meeting a man called ^'Bud
Thomas,'' Vrdio was but one remove above an idiot, but
was very pious, and lived round among the people.

George, in relating the circumstances of his awak-
ening, said : " I attended this meeting several days as
a confirmed infidel, but at the love-feast, when I heard
'Bud Thomas' talk with so much clearness and confi-
dence about his mother in heaven, and how she used
to pray for her poor, afilicted boy, and how much he
loved Jesus, and of his bright hopes of meeting his
dear mother in heaven, I wept, and I saw in his sim-
ple experience the truth and beauty of religion with
such clearness that my infidelity went like the mist of
the morning before the rising sun."

I mention these cases simply to show,

1. That, while the Holy Spirit often uses the most
simple means, he always uses appropriate means, con-

274 THE MODEL PREACHER.

tainiug some or ail of the elements of power so mani-
fest in the model of Jesus.

2. That, -while literary education is all-important,
there are yqyj many who, in their literary wisdom,
overlook the simple, essential elements of power on
which their success depends.

8. That, while Avillful ignorance is a sin, the most
illiterate should not be discouraa;ed in tryini^ to be a
witness for Jesus, and a worker together with God in
the great business of saving the world, seeing he often
uses the weak things of this vrorld to confound the
mighty by the wonderful success with v/hich he crowns
their simple efforts.

It was my design to furnish you vrith a specimen
sermon from each of the most celebrated preachers
of different ages ; but I novr find that my space
will not admit of many entire sermons, and I must
content myself with giving a few specimen extracts
from the sermons of some of the most remarkable
preachers of different periods of the history of the
Church, to shov*^ that, in a considerable degree, they
conformed to the Master's model, and to establish at
least a clear presumption that their success was con-
sequent on that fact, and proportionate to the degree
of their conformxity to it.

PULPIT ORATOPvS 275

LETTET. XV.

PULPIT 0 il A T 0 R S .

My Dear Brotiiei;, — If vaj space ^vould admit o.
it, I Tvoiild like to insert a specimen sermon from each
of the most celebrated preachers of ancient and mod-
ern times, that you miglit see that thcj all, in a con-
siderable degree, conformed to the Savior's model,
and to establish a clear presumption, too, that their
success depended on that fact, and was proportionate
to the degree of their conformity to it, but my space
will only alloyy' me to present a fevr extracts from a
small number of the most distinguished preachers.
(There is a work, in two octavo volumes, by Rev.
Henry C. Fish, published by M. W. Dodd, New York,
entitled ^'Masterpieces of Pulpit Eloquence," vvdiich
contains one sermon each from the greatest preach-
ers, ancient and m.odern, from which I select a few
extracts.) I will begin with

c H r. Y s o s T o M .

"John, called, for at least the last twelve centurie?,
Ohri/sosiom — golden-mouthed — v\Ti3 the brightest or-
nament of the ancient Greek Churches. He was born
probably about the year 347, at Antioch, in Syria,
Avhere he spent most of his public life, and died on
the 14th of September, 407, with his favorite expres-

276 THE MODEL PREACHER.

sion on his lips, ' God he jjvaised for every thing,*
For overpowering popular eloquence Chrysostom
had no equal among the fathers. He has been called
the Homer of orators. Ferrarius quotes Suidas, as
saying that Chrjsostom had a tongue floiuing like the
Nile: and when he was banished, his people said that
'it were better that the 8iin should cease to shine,
than that his mouth should be shut.' Gibbon's testi-
mony to his eloquence — Decline and Fall of the
Roman Empire, period 398-403 — is worthy of partic-
ular note, especially considering its source. Speak-
ing of the various works thn.t remain of this father,
the principal of which are about one thousand ser-
mons or homilies, he says they authorize the critics
to appreciate his genuine merit : and that they unani-
mously attribute to him ' the free command of an
elegant and copious language; the judgment to con-
ceal the advantages which he derived from the knowl-
edge of rhetoric and philosophy; an inexhaustible
fund of metaphors and similitudes, of ideas and im-
ages, to vary and illustrate the most familiar topics ;
the happy art of engaging the passions in the service
of virtue; and of exposing the folly as well as the
turpitude of vice, almost vfith the truth and spirit of
a dramatic representation.' "

See how the testimony of Gibbon bears on the fact
which I assume — that Chrysostom conformed in a
most efficient degree to his Master's model. Such
testimony is the more valuable in this case, from tho
fact, that you can have but a very limited idea of a

PULPIT ORATORS, 277

man's preaching from a portion of a single sermon.
This remark will apply to all whom I may try to rep-
resent by the specimens I may furnish from their
published sermons. I presume no man's pulpit power
can be fully represented by a printed sermon, and
especially when it has been handed down for ages,
through different languages.

The subject of the sermon, from which I now pre-
sent an extract, is

EXCESSIYE GRIEF AT THE DEATH OF FRIENDS.

" But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning
them -which are asleep, that ye sorrow not." 1 Thess. iv, 13.

>K ♦ ^ >\^ r^ r^ ^

We ought here, at the outset, to inquire why, when
be is speaking of Christ, he employs the word death;
but when he is speaking of our decease he calls it
deep^ and not death. For he did not say, Concerning
them that are dead : but what did he say ? Concern-
ing them that are asleep. And again, Even so them
also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him.
He did not say, Them that have died. Still again,
We who are alive and remain unto the coming of the
Lord shall not go before them that sleep. Here, too,
he did not say. Them that are dead; but a third time
bringing the subject to their remembrance, he for the
third time called death a sleep. Concerning Christ,
however, he did not speak thus : but how? For if we
believe tha.t Jesus died. He did not say, Jesus slept,
but he died. Why now did he use the term death in

278 THE MODEL PREACHER.

reference to Christ, but in reference to us the term
sleej)^ For it was not casually, or negligently, that
lie employed this expression, but he had a wise and
great purpose in so doing. In speaking of Christ, he
said death, so as to confirm the fact that Christ had
actually suffered death; in speaking of us, he said
sleej:), in order to impart consolation. For where a
resurrection had already taken place, he mentions
death with plainness ; but where the resurrection is
still a matter of hope, he says sleej:^, consoling us by
this very expression, and cherishing our valuable
hopes. For he who is only asleep will surely awake;
and death is no more than a long sleep.

Say not, a dead man hears not, nor speaks, nor
sees, nor is conscious. It is just so with a sleeping
person. If I may speak somewhat paradoxically,
even the soul of a sleeping person is in some sort
asleep ; but not so the soul of a dead man ; that is
awake.

But you say, a dead man experiences corruption,
and becomes dust and ashes. And what then, beloved
hearers? For this very reason we ought to rejoice.
For when a man is about to rebuild an old and totter-
ino; house, he first sends out its occupants, then tears
it down, and rebuilds anew a more splendid one.
This occasions no grief to the occupants, but rather
joy ; for they do not think of the demolition which
they see, but of the house which is to come, though
not yet seen. When God is about to do a simflar
work, he destroys our body, and removes the soul

PULPIT OEATORS. 279

which was dwelling in it as from some house, that ho
may build it anew and more splendidly, and again
bring the soul into it wdth greater glory. Let us not,
therefore, regard the tearing down, but the splendor
which is to succeed.

If, again, a man has a statue decayed by rust and
age, and mutilated in many of its parts, he breaks it
up and casts it into a furnace, and after the melting,
he receives it again in a more beautiful form. As
then the dissolving in the furnace w^as not a destruc-
tion, but a renewing of the statue, so the death of our
bodies is not a destruction, but a renovation. When,
therefore, you see us in a furnace, our flesh flowing
away to corruption, dwell not on that sight, but wait
for the recasting. And be not satisfied with the ex-
tent of this illustration, but advance in your thoughts
to a still higher point ; for the statuary, casting into
the furnace a brazen image, does not furnish you in
its place a golden and undecaying statue, but again
makes a brazen one. God does not thus ; but casting
in a mortal body formed of clay, he returns to you a
golden and immortal statue ; for the earth, receiving
a corruptible and decaying body, gives back the same,
incorruptible and undecaying. Look not, therefore,
on the corpse, lying with closed eyes and speechless
lips, but on the man that is risen, that has received
glory unspeakable and amazing, and direct your
thoughts from the present sight to the future hope.

But do you miss his society, and therefore lament
and mourn ? Now is it not unreasonable, that, if you

280 THE MODEL PREACHER.

should nave given your daughter in marriagCj and her
husband shouhl take her to a distant country and
should there enjoy prosperit}^, you would not think
the circumstance a calamity, but the intelligence of
their prosperity would console the sorrow occasioned
by her absence ; and yet here, while it is not a man,
nor a fellow-servant, but the Lord himself who has
taken your relative, that you should grieve and
lament ?

And how is it possible, you ask, not to grieve, since
I am only a man? Nor do I say that you should not
grieve : I do not condemn dejection, but the intensity
of it. To be dejected is natural; but to be overcome
by dejection is madness, and folly, and unmanly
w^eakness. You may grieve and weep, but give not
way to despondency, nor indulge in complaints.
Give thanks to God, who has taken your friend, that
you have the opportunity of honoring the departed
one, and of dismissing him with becoming obsequies.
If you sink under depression, you withhold honor
from the departed, you displease God who has taken
him, and you injure yourself; but if you are grateful,
you pay respect to him, you glorify God, and you
benefit yourself. Weep, as wept your Master over
Lazarus, observing the just limits of sorrow, which it
is not proper to pass. Thus also said Paul, I would
not have you to be ignorant concerning them which
are asleep, that ye sorrow not as others who have no
hope. Grieve, says he ; but not as the Greek, who has
no hope of a resurrection, who despairs of a future life.

PULPIT ORATORS. 281

Believe me, I am ashamed and blush to see unbe-
coming groups of women pass along the mart, tearing
their hair, cutting their arms and cheeks — and all
this under the eyes of the Greeks. For what will
they not say ? What will they not utter concerning
us ? Are these the men who philosophize about a
resurrection ? Indeed ! How poorly their actions
agree with their opinions ! In words, they philoso-
phize about a resurrection : but the}^ act just like
those who do not acknowledge a resurrection. If
they fully believed in a resurrection, they would not
act thus; if they had really persuaded themselves
that a deceased friend had departed to a better state,
they would not thus mourn. These things, and more
than these, the unbelievers say when they hear those
lamentations. Let us then be ashamed, and be more
moderate, and not occasion so much harm to our-
selves and to those who are looking on us.

For on what account, tell me, do you thus weep for

one departed? Because he was a bad man? You

ought on that very account to be thankful, since the

occasions of wickedness are novv" cut off. Because he

was good and kind ? If so, you ought to rejoice ;

since he has been soon removed, before wickedness

had corrupted him : and he has gone away to a world

where he stands ever secure, and there is no room

even to mistrust a change. Because he was a youth ?

For that, too, praise Him that has taken him, because

he has speedily called him to a better lot. Because

he was an aged man? On this account, also, give

24

282 THE MODEL PREACHER.

thanks and glorify Him that has taken him. Be
ashamed of your manner, of burial. The singing of
psalms, the prayers, the assembling of the spiritual
fathers and brethren — all this is not that you may
weep, and lament, and afflict yourselves, but that you
may render thanks to Ilim who has taken the de-
parted. For as when men are called to some high
office, multitudes with praises on their lips assemble
to escort them at their departure to their stations, so
do all with abundant praise join to send forward, as to
greater honor, those of the pious who have departed.
Death is rest, a deliverance from the exhausting
labors and cares of this vv'orld. When, then, thou
seest a relative departing, yield not to despondency ;
give thyself to reflection; examine thy conscience;
cherish the thous-ht that after a little while this end

o

awaits thee also. Be more considerate; let another's
death excite thee to salutary fear ; shake off all indo-
lence ; examine your past deeds ; quit your sins, and
commence a happy change.

We differ from unbelievers in our estimate of things.
The unbeliever surveys the heaven and worships it,
because he thinks it a divinity ; he looks to the earth
and makes himself a servant to it, and longs for the
things of sense. But not so with us. We survey tiiC
heaven, and admire him that made it; for we believe
it not to be a god, but a work of God. I look on the
whole creation, and am led by it to the Creator. He
looks on wealth, niul longs for it with earnest desire;
I look on wealtli, and contemn it. ITe sees poverty,

PULPIT OKATORS. 283

and laments; I see poverty, and rejoice. I see things
in one liglit; he in another. Just so in regard to
death. He sees a corpse, and thinks of it as a
corpse ; I see a corpse, and behold sleep rather than
death. And as in regard to books, both learned per-
sons and unlearned see them with the same eyes, but
not with the same understanding — for to the unlearned
the mere shapes of letters appear, while the learned
discover the sense that lies within those letters — so in
respect to affairs in general, we all see what takes
place with the same eyes, but not with the same un-
derstanding and judgment. Since, therefore, in all
other things we differ from them, shall we agree with
them in our sentiments respecting death ?

Consider to whom the departed has gone, and take
comfort. He has gone where Paul is, and Peter, and
the vfhole company of the saints. Consider how he
shall arise, with what glory and splendor. Consider,
that by mourning and lamenting thou canst not alter
the event which has occurred, and that thou wilt in
the end injure thyself.

BISHOP LATIMER.

Hugh Latimer was born about the year 1480, and
on the 16th of October, 1555, was burned alive at the
stake, by the decree of bloody Mary, uttering those
memorable and truly-prophetic words to his compan-
ion in the Barnes, '^ Be of good comfort , brother Hid-
ley, and jjlay the 7nan ; we shall this day light such a

•284 THE MODEL PEEACnER.

candle, hy God's grace, in England^ as, I trusty net r
shall he 2^y^t outr

His sermons were not learned, and many of his an-
ecdotes and illustrations would not suit the modern
taste. But he always insisted on the cardinal doc-
trine, that justification is not by works, and that
Christ, by the one only oblation of his body, sancti-
fied forever those that believe. In courage, too, Lat-
imer has never been excelled.

As a fowerfid preacher Latimer has been rarely
equaled, and perhaps never excelled. His enemies,
^'though swelling, blown full, and puffed up, like
^sop's frog, with envy and malice against him," as
Bacon has it, returned from hearing him with the words
of exaggeration, "Never man spake like this man."
His style is lively and cheerful, and though in his ser-
mons we meet with m.any quaint, odd, and coarse
things, yet we every-where discover the traces of his
homely wit, his racy manner, his keen observation, his
manly freedom, his playful temper, and his simplicity
and sincerity of heart. Says a Avell-known English
divine, " If a combination of sound Gospel doctrine,
plain Saxon language, boldness, liveliness, directness,
and simplicity, can make a preacher, few, I suspect,
have ever equaled old Latimer."

It was customary with the preachers of Latimer's
('av, oftentimes, to seize upon some singular topic to
engage the attention of their hearers, which may ac-
count for the odd title of the sermon which follows.
It was preached in 1548, when Latimer must have

PULPIT ORATORS. 285

been nearly seventy years of age, and, perhaps, in no
one of his discourses — of which the very rare extant
editions contain forty-five — does the great martyr-
preacher appear to better advantage.

SERMON OF THE PLOW.

'* For whatsoever things were written aforetime, were written for
mr learning." Rom. xv, 4.

All things that are written in God's book, in the
Bible book, in the book of the holy Scripture, are
written to be our doctrine. I told you in my first
sermon, honorable audience, that I proposed to de-
clare unto you two things : the one, what seed should
be sow^n in God's field, in God's plow-land; and the
other, who should be the sowers.

That is to say, what doctrine is to be taught in
Christ's Church and congregation, and what men
should be the teachers and preachers of it. The first
part I have told you in the three sermons past, in
which I have essaj^ed to set forth my plow, to prove
what I could do. And now I shall tell you who are
the plowers ; for God's w^ord is seed to be sown in
God's field — that is, the faithful congregation — and the
preacher is the sower. And it is said in the Gospel :
^'He that soweth," the husbandman, the plowman,
" went forth to sow his seed." So that a preacher is
compared to a plowman, as it is in another place:
" No man that putteth his hand to the plow, and look-
eth back, is apt for the kingdom of God." Luke ix.
That it is to say, let no preacher be negligent in

2SG THE MODEL PREACnEIl,

doing Lis office. This is one of the places that haa
been racked, as I told you of racking Scriptures, and
I have been one of them myself that have racked it —
I cry God mercy for it; and have been one of them
that have believed, and have expounded it against re-
ligious persons that .would forsake their order which
they had professed, and would go out of their clois-
ter ; whereas, indeed, it relates not to monkery, nor
makes at all for any such matter; but it is directly
spoken of diligent preaching of the word of God.
For preaching of the Gospel is one of God's ploW'
works, and the preacher is one of God's plowmen.

Be not ofiended with my similitude, in that I com-
pare preaching to the labor and work of plowing, and
the preacher to a plowman ; ye may not be offended
with this, my similitude, though I have been unjustly

slandered by some persons for such thing

But as preachers must be wary and circumspect, that
they give not any just occasion to be slandered and
ill-spoken of by the hearers, so the auditors must not
be offended without cause. For heaven is in the
Gospel likened unto a mustard seed: it is compared,
also, to a piece of leaven; and Christ saith, that at
the last day he will come like a thief; and what dis-
honor is this to God ? Or what derogation is this to
heaven? You should not then, I say, be offended
with my similitude, because I liken preaching to a
i:)lowman's labor, and a prelate to a plowman. But
now you will ask me whom I call a prelate? A pro-
late is that man, whatsoever he is, tliat has a flock to

PULPIT ORATORS. 287

be taught by him ; whosoever has any spiritual charge
in the faithful congregation, and whosoever he is that
has a cure of souls.

Well may the preacher and the plowman be likened
together ; first, for their labor at all seasons of the
year ; for there is no time of the year in which the
plowman has not some special work to do ; as in my
country in Leicestershire, the plowman has a time to
set forth, and to assay his plow, and other times for
other necessary works to be done. And they also
may be likened together for the diversity of works
and variety of offices that they have to do. Eor as
the plowman first sets forth his plov>% and then tills
the land, and breaks it in furrows, and sometimes
ridges it up again ; and at another- time harrows it
and clotteth it, and sometimes dungs it and hedges it,
digs it and weeds it, and makes it clean ; so the pre-
late, the preacher, has many diverse offices to do. He
has first a busy work to bring his parishioners to a
right faith, as Paul calleth it; and not a swerving
faith, but to a faith that embraces Christ, and trusts
to his merits; a lively faith, a justifying faith; a
faith that makes a man righteous, without respect
of w^orks; as you have it very well declared and set
forth in the homily. He has then a busy work, I say,
to bring his flock to a right faith, and then to confirm
them in the same faith. Now casting them down
with the law, and with threatcnings of God for sin ;
now ridging them up again with the Gospel, and v/ith
the promises of God's favor. Now weeding them by

288 THE MODEL PREACHER.

telling them their faults, and making them forsake
sin; now clotting them, bj breaking their stony hearts
and by making them supple-hearted, and making them
to have hearts of flesh ; that is, soft hearts, and apt
for doctrine to enter in. Now teaching to know God
rightly, and to know their duty to God and their
neighbors. Now exhorting them when they know
their duty, that they do it, and be diligent in it ; so
that they have a continual work to do. Great is
their business, and therefore great should be their
hire. They have great labors, and therefore they
ought to have good livings, that they may commodi-
ously feed their flock ; for the preaching of the word
of God unto the people is called meat; Scripture
calls it meat; not strawberries, that come but once a
year, and tarry not long, but are soon gone ; but it is
meat, it is not dainties. The people must have meat
that is familiar and continual, and daily given unto
them to feed upon. Many make a strawberry of it,
ministering it but once a year; but^such do not the
office of good prelates. For Christ saith, "Who
think you is a Avise and a faithful servant ? He that
giveth meat in due time." So that he must, at all
times convenient, preach diligently ; therefore saith
he, "Who, think ye, is a faithful servant?" He
speaks as though it were a rare thing to find such a
one, and as though he should say, there are but few
of them to be found in the world. And how few of
them there are throughout this realm that give meat
to their flock as they should do, the visitors can best

PULPIT OPvATORS. 289

tell. Too fev»', too few, the more is the pity, and
never so few as now.

By this then it appears that a prelate, or any that
has the cure of souls, must diligently and substantially
work and labor. Therefore, saith Paul to Timothy,
^' He that desireth to have the office of a bishop, or a
prelate, that man desireth a good work.'' Then if it is
a good work, it is work; you can make but a work of it.
It is God's work, God's plciw, and that plow God would
have still going. Such then as loiter and live idly
are not good prelates, or ministers. And of such as
do not preach and teach, and do their duties, God
saith by his prophet Jeremy, ''Cursed be the man
that doth the work of God fraudulently, guilefully,
or deceitfully;" some books have it '^ negligently or
elackly." How many such prelates, how many such
bishops, Lord, for thy mercy, are there now in Eng-
land? And what shall we in this case do? shall we
company with them ? 0 Lord, for thy mercy ! shall
we not company with them ? 0 Lord, whither shall
we flee from them ? But " cursed be he that doth the
work of God negligently or guilefully." A sore word
for them that are negligent in discharging their office,
or have done it fraudulently; for that is the thing
which makes the people ill.

But it must be true that Christ saith, '• Many are

called, but few are chosen." Matt. xxii. Here I have

an occasion by the way to say somewhat unto you ;

yea, for the place that I alleged unto you before out

of Jeremy, the forty- eighth chapter. And it was

25

290 THE MODEL PREACHER.

spoken of a spiritual work of God, a work that was
commanded to be done, and it was of shedding blood,
and of destroying the cities of Moab. For, saith he,
"Cursed be he that keepeth back his sword from
shedding of blood." As Saul, when he kept back the
sword from shedding of blood, at the time he was sent
against Amalek, was refused of God for being disobe-
dient to God's commandment, in that he spared Agag
the king. So that place of the prophet was spoken
of them that went to the destruction of the cities of
Moab, among which there was one called E^ebo, which
was much reproved for idolatry, superstition, pride,
avarice, cruelty, tyranny, and hardness of heart ; and
these sins were plagued of God and destroyed.

Now what shall we say of these rich citizens of
London? what shall I say of them? Shall I call
them proud men of London, malicious men of Lon-
don, merciless men of London ? No, no, I may not
say so ; they will be offended with me then. Yet
must I speak. For is there not reigning in London
as much pride, as much covetousness, as much cru-
elty, as much oppression, and as much superstition, as
there was in Nebo ? Yes, I think, and much more
too. Therefore, I say, Repent, 0 London ! repent,
repent! Thou hearest thy faults told thee; amend
them, amend them. I think, if Nebo had had the
preaching that thou hast, they would have converted.
And you, rulers and officers, bo wise and circumspect,
look to your charge, and see you do your duties ;
and rather be glad "to amend your ill living than bo

PULPIT ORATORS. 291

angry when you are warned or told of your fault.
What ado was there made in London at a certain man,
because he said — and indeed at that time on a just
cause — ^'Burgesses," quoth he, "nay, butterflies!"
What ado there was for that word ! and yet would
that they were no worse than butterflies ! Butterflies
do but their nature ; the butterfly is not covetous, is
not greedy of other men's goods ; is not full of envy
and hatred, is not malicious, is not cruel, is not mer-
ciless. The butterfly glories not in her own deeds,
nor prefers the traditions of men before God's word ;
it commits not idolatry, nor worships false gods. But
London can not abide to be rebuked ; such is the na-
ture of men. If they are pricked, they will kick ; if
they are galled, they will wince ; but yet they will not
amend their faults, they will not be ill spoken of.
But how shall I speak well of them ? If you would
be content to receive and follow the word of God, and
favor good preachers, if you could bear to be told of
your fjiults, if you could amend when you hear of
them, if you could be glad to reform that which is
amiss ; if I might see any such inclination in you,
that you would leave ofl" being merciless, and begin to
be charitable, I would then hope well of you, I would
then speak well of you. But London vv-as never so
ill as it is now. In times past men were full of pity
and compassion, but now there is no pity; for in Lon-
don their brother shall die in the streets for cold, he
shall lie sick at the door, and perish there for hunger.
Was there ever more unmercifulness in Nebo ? I

292 THE MODEL PREACHER.

think not. In times past, when any rich man died in
London, they were wont to help the poor scholars of
the universities with exhibitions. Vv'hen any man
died, they would bequeath great sums of money
toward the relief of the poor. AYhen I was a scholar
in Cambridge myself, I heard very good report of
London, and knew many that had relief from the rich
men of London ; but now I hear no such good report,
and yet I inquire of it, and hearken for it ; but now
charity is waxen cold, none helps the scholar nor yet
the poor. And in those days, what did they when
they helped the scholars ? They maintained and
gave them livings who were very Papists, and pro-
fessed the Pope's doctrine : and now that the knowl-
edge of God's word is brought to light, and many
earnestly study and labor to set it forth, now hardly
any man helps to maintain them.

0, London, London! repent, repent; for I think
God is more displeased with London than ever he was
with the city of Nebo. Repent, therefore; repent,
London, and remember that the same God liveth now
that punished Nebo, even the same God, and none
other; and he will punish sin as well now as he did
then : and he will punish the iniquity of London as
well as he did them of Nebo. Amend, therefore.
And you that are prelates, look well to your office:
for right prelating is busy laboring, and not lording.
Therefore, preach and teach, and let your plow be go-
ing. Ye lords, I say, that live like loiterers, look
well to your office — the plow is your office and charge.

PULPIT ORATORS. 293

If you live idle and loiter, you do not your duty, you
follow not your vocation ; let your plow, therefore, be
going, and not cease, that the ground may bring forth
fruit.

But now methinks I hear one say unto me, " Wot
ye what you say? Is it a work? Is it a labor?
How, then, hath it happened that we have had for so
many hundred years so many unpreaching prelates,
lording loiterers, and idle ministers?" You would
have me here to make answer, and to show the cause
thereof. Nay, this land is not for me to plow — it is
too stony, too thorny, too hard for me to plow. They
have so many things that make for them, so many
things to say for themselves, that it is not for my
weak team to plow them. They have to say for them-
selves long customs, ceremonies, and authority,
placing in Parliament, and many things more. And I
fear this land is not yet ripe to be plowed ; for, as the
saying is, it lacketh weathering ; it lacketh weathering,
at least it is not for me to plow. For what shall I look
for among thorns, but pricking and scratching ? What
among stones, but stumbling? What, I had almost
said, among serpents, but stinging? But this much I
dare say, that since lording and loitering hath come
up, preaching hath come down, contrary to the apos-
tles' time ; for they preached and lorded not, and now
they lord and preach not. For they that are lords
T.'ill ill go to plow : it is no meet office for them ; it is
not seeming for their estate. Thus came up lording
loiterers — thus crept in unpreaching prelates, and so

294 THE MODEL PREACHER.

have tliey long continuetl. For how many unlearned
prelates have we now at this clay! And no marvel;
for if the plowmen that now are were made lords,
they would give over plowing; they would leave off
their labor and fall to lording outright, and let the
plow stand : and then both plows not walking, noth-
ing should be in the commonweal but hunger. For
ever since the prelates were made lords and nobles,
their plow standeth — there is no work done — the peo-
ple starve. They hawk, they hunt, they card, they
dice, they pastime in their prelacies with gallant gen-
tlemen, with their dancing minions, and with their
fresh companions, so that plowing is set aside. And
by the lording and loitering, preaching and plowing
are clean gone. And thus, if the plowmen of the
country were as negligent in their office as prelates
are, we should not long live, for lack of sustenance.
And as it is necessary to have this plowing for the
sustentation of the body, so must we have also the
other for the satisfaction of the soul, or else we can
not live long spiritually. For as the body wastes and
consumes away for lack of bodily meat, so the soul
pines away for default of spiritual meat. But there
are two kinds of inclosing, to hinder both these kinds
of plowing; the one is an inclosing to hinder the
bodily plowing, and the other to hinder the holy day
plowing — the Church plowing.

The bodily plowing is taken in and inclosed for the
gain of individuals. For what man will let go or
diminish his private advantage for a commonwealth?

PULPIT ORATORS. 295

And who will sustain any damage for public benefit?
The other plow, also, no man is diligent to set for-
ward, and no man will hearken to it. But to hinder
it all men's ears are open ; yea, and there are a great
many of this kind of plowmen, who are A^ery busy,
and would seem to be very good workmen. I fear
some are rather mock-gospelers than faithful plow-
men. I know many myself that profess the Gospel,
and live nothing thereafter. I knovf them, and have
been conversant with some of them. I know them,
and I speak it with a heavy heart, there is as little
charity and good living in them as in any others, ac-
cording to that which Christ said in the Gospel to the
great number of people that followed him; as though
they had an earnest zeal for his doctrine, whereais,
indeed, they had it not. " Ye follow me," saith he,
"not because ye have seen the signs and miracles
that I have done, but because ye have eaten the bread
and refreshed your bodies; therefore ye follow me."
So that I think many nowadays profess the Gospel
for the living's sake, not for the love they bear to
God's word. But they that will be true plowmen
must work faithfully for God's sake, for the edifying
of their brethren. And as diligently as the husband-
man ploweth for the sustentation of the body, so dili-
gently must the prelates and ministers labor for the
feeding of the soul; both the plows must still be go-
ing, as most necessary for man. And wherefore are
magistrates ordained, but that the tranquillity of the
commonweal may be confirmed, limiting both plows ?

296 THE MODEL PREACHER.

But now for the fault of unpreacliing prelates, me-
thinks I could guess what might bo said for excusing
of them. They are so troubled with lordly living —
they are so placed in palaces, couched in courts, ruf-
fling in their rents, dancing in tlieir dominions, bur-
dened with embassages, pampering themselves like a
monk that maketh his jubilee, and moiling in their gay
manors and mansions, and so troubled with loitering
in their lordships, that they can not attend it. They
are otherwise occupied; some in the King's matters,
some are embassadors, some of the privy council, some
to furnish the court, some are lords of the Parliament,
some are presidents, and some controllers of mints.

"VYell, well; is this their duty? Is this their office?
Is this their calling? Should we have ministers of
the Church to be controllers of the mints? Is this a
meet oflke for a priest that hath cure of souls? Is
this his charge? I would here ask one question: I
would fain know who controlleth the devil at home in
his parish, while he controlleth the mint? If the
apostles might not leave the office of preaching to the
deacons, shall one leave it for minting? I can not
tell you ; but the saying is, that since priests have
been minters, money hath been worse than it was
before. And they say that the evilncss of money
, hath made all thinsrs dearer. And in this behalf I
must speak to England. "Hear, my country, Eng-
land/' as Paul said in his first epistle to the Corinth-
ians, the sixth chapter — for Paul v/as no sitting
bishop, but a walking and a preaching bishop — but

PULPIT ORATORS. 297

>Yheii lie Y>'ent from tliem he left there behind him the
plow going still ; for he -wrote unto them, and rebuked
them for going to law, and pleading their causes be-
fore heathen judges — "Is there," saith he, -'among
you no wise man, to be an arbitrator in matters of
judgment? What! not one of all that can judge be-
tween brother and brother; but one brother goeth to
law with another, and that before heathen judges?
Appoint those for judges that are most abject and
vile in the congregation ;" which he speaks to rebuke
them; "For," saith he, "I speak it to 3^ our shame."
So, England, I speak it to thy shame. Is there never
-ar nobleman to be a lord-president but it must be a
prelate? Is there never a wise man in the realm to
be a controller of the mint? I spccik it to your
shame. If there be never a wise man, make a v/ater-
bearer, a tinker, a cobbler, a slave, a page, controller
of the mint : make a mean gentleman, a groom, a
yeoman, or a poor beggar, lord-president.

Thus I speak, not that I would have it so, but to
your shame, if there is never a gentleman meet or
able to be lord-president. For why are not the no-
blemen and young gentlemen of England so brought
up in knowledge of God, and in learning, that they
maybe able to execute offices in the commonweal?
The King has a great many wards, and I trow there
is a court of wards; why is there not a school for the
wards, as well as there is a court for their lands?
Why are they not set in schools where they may
learn ? Or why are they not sent to the universities,

298 THE MODEL PEEACHER.

that they may be able to serve the King ^vhen they
come to age? If the wards and young gentlemen
Avere well brought up in learning, and in the knowl-
edge of God, they would not, when they come to age,
so much give themselves to other vanities. And if
the nobility be well trained in godly learning, the peo-
ple would follow the same train ; for truly, such as
the noblemen are such will the people be. And now,
the only cause why noblemen are not made lord-
presidents, is because they have not been brought up
in learnino;.

Therefore, for the love of God, appoint teachers
and schoolmasters, you that have charge of youth ;
and give the teachers stipends worthy their pains,
that they may bring them up in grammar, in logic, in
rhetoric, in philosophy, in the civil law, and in that
which I can not leave unspoken, of the word of God.
Thanks be unto God, the nobility otherwise is very
well brought up in learning and godliness, to the
great joy and comfort of England ; so that there is
now good hope in the youth, that we shall another
day have a flourishing commonweal, considering their
godly education. Yea, and there are already noblemen
enough, though not so many as I would wish, able to
be lord-presidents, and wise men enough for tlie mint.
And as unmeet a thing it is for bishops to be lord-
presidents, or priests to be minters, as it was for
the Corinthians to plead matters of variance before
heathen judges. It is also a slander to the noble-
men, as though they lacked wisdom and learning to

PULPIT ORATORS. 299

be able for such offices, or else were no men of con-
science, or else were not meet to be trusted, and able
for such offices. And a prelate has a charge and
cure otherwise ; and therefore he can not discharge
his duty and be ^a lord-president too. For a presi-
lentship requireth a whole man ; and a bishop can
not be two men. A bishop has his office, a flock to
teach, to look unto ; and therefore he can not meddle
with another office, which alone requires a whole
man ; he should therefore give it over to whom it is
meet, and labor in his own business ; as Paul writes
to the Thessalonians, " Let every man do his own
business, and follow his calling." Let the priest
preach, and the nobleman handle the temporal mat-
ters. Moses was a marvelous man, a good man :
Moses was a wonderful man, and did his duty, being
a married man : we lack such as Moses was. Well,
I would all men would look to their duty, as God
hath called them, and then we should have a flour-
ishing Christian commonweal.

And now I would ask a strange question : who
is the most diligent bishop and prelate in all Eng-
land, that passes all the rest in doing his office ?
r can tell, for I knovv' who it is; I know him well.
But now I think I see you listening and hearken-
In^ that I should name him. There is one that
passes all the other, and is the m.ost diligent prel-
ate and preacher in all England. And will ye
know who it is ? I will tell you — it is the devil. He
IS the most diligent preacher of all others; he is never

300 THE MODEL PREACJIEE .

out of liis diocese; he is jiever from his cure; you
shall never find him unoccupied; he is ever in his
parish ; he keeps residence at all times ; you shall
never find him out of the way; call for him when you
will he is ever at home. He is the most diligent
preacher in all the realm ; he is ever at his ploAV ; no
lording nor loitering can hinder him ; he is ever ap-
plying his business ; you shall never find him idle I
warrant you. And his office is to hinder religion, to
maintain superstition, to set up idolatry, to teach all
kinds of Popery. He is ready as can be wished for
to set forth his plow ; to devise as many ways as
can be to deface and obscure God's glory. Where
the devil is resident, and has his plow going, there
away with books and up Avith candles ; away with
Bibles and up with beads ; away with the light of the
Gospel and up with the light of candles, yea, at
noonday. Where the devil is resident, that he may
prevail, up with all superstition and idolatry ; cen-
sing, painting of images, candles, palms, ashes, holy
water, and new service of men's inventing ; as though
man could invent a better way to honor God with
than God himself hath appointed. Down with Christ's
cross, up with purgatory pickpurse — up with him, the
Popish purgatory, I m.can. Away with clothing the
naked, the poor and impotent; up with decking of im-
ages, and gay garnishing of stocks and stones ; up
with man's traditions and his laws, down with God's
traditions and his most holy word. Down with the
old honor due to God, and up with the new god'n

PULPIT OKATOPtS. 301

honor. Let all things be done in Latin : there must
be nothing but Latin, not so much as "Kemember,
man, that thou art ashes, and into ashes shalt thou
return:" Avhich are the words that the minister speak-
eth unto the ignorant people, ^vhen he gives them
ashes upon Ash- Wednesday, but it must be spoken in
Latin. God's ^vord may in no -wise be tr?.nslated into
English.

0 that our prelates would be as diligent to sow
the corn of good doctrine, as Satan is to sow cockle
and darnel ! And this is the devilish plowing which
worketh to have things in Latin, and hinders the
fruitful edification. But here some man will say to
me, What, sir, are you so privy to the devil's counsel
that you know all this to be true ? True, I know
him too well, and have obeyed him a little too much
in condescending to some follies ; and I know him as
other men do ; yea, that he is ever occupied, and
ever busy in following his plow. I know by St. Pe-
ter, who saith of him, "He goeth about like a roar-
ing lion, seeking whom he may devour." I would
have this text well viewed and examined, every word
of it : "He goeth about" in every corner of his dio-
cese ; he goeth on visitation daily, he leaves no place
of his cure unvisited : he walks round about from
place to place, and ceases not. "As a lion," that is,
strongly, boldly, and proudly ; stately and fiercely,
vfith haughty looks, with his proud countenances,
with his stately braggings. " Eoaring," for he lets
not any occasion slip, to speak or to roar out when

302 THE MODEL PllEACHER.

he seetli his time. '' He goeth about seeking," and
not sleeping, as our bishops do ; but he seeketh dili-
gently, he searcheth diligently all corners, where he
may have his prey. He roveth abroad in every place
of his diocese ; he standeth not still, he is never at
rest, but ever in hand with his plow, that it may go
forward. But there was never such a preacher in
England as he is. Who is able to tell his diligent
preaching, which every day, and every hour, labors to
sow cockle and darnel, that he may bring out of
form, and out of estimation and renown, the institu-
tion of the Lord's supper and Christ's cross ? For
there he lost his right ; for Christ said, " Now is the
judgment of this world, and the prince of this world
shall be cast out. And as Moses did lift up the serpent
in the wilderness, so must the Son of man be lift up.
[John iii.] And when I shtill be lift up from the earth,
I will draw all things unto myself." For the devil was
disappointed of his purpose ; for he thought all to be
his own : and when he had once brought Christ to the
cross, he thought all was sure.

But there lost he all reigning : for Christ said, "I
will draw^ all things to myself." He means, drawing
of man's soul to salvation. And that he said he
would do by his own self; not by any other sacrifice.
He meant by his own sacrifice on the cross, where
he offered himself for the redemption of mankind ;
and not the sacrifice of the mass, to be offered by
another. For who can offer him but himself? He
was both the Offerer and the Offering. And this i^

PULPIT ORATORS. 303

tlie mark at which the devil shooteth, to evacuate the
cross of Christ, and to mangle the institution of the
Lord's supper ; which, although he can not bring to
pass, yet he goes about by his sleights and subtile
means to frustrate the same : and these fifteen hun-
dred years he has been a doer, only purposing to
make Christ's death of small efficacy and virtue.
For whereas Christ, '' according as the serpent was
lifted up in the wilderness," so would he himself be
exalted ; that thereby as many as trusted in him
should have salvation; but the devil would none
of that. They would have us saved by a daily obla-
tion propitiatory; by a sacrifice expiatory or re-
mis sory.

Now propitiatory, expiatory, remissory, or satis-
factory, signify all one thing in eff"ect, and it is noth-
ing else but whereby to obtain remission of sins, and
to have salvation. And this way the devil used to
evacuate the death of Christ, that we might have affi-
ance in other things, as in the daily sacrifice of the
priest ; whereas Christ would have us to trust in his
sacrifice alone. So he was '' the Lamb that hath
been slain from the beginning of the world ;
and therefore he is called a " continual sacrifice ;"
and not for the continuance of the mass, as the
blanchers have blanched it, and wrested it, and as I
myself did once mistake it. But Paul saith, "By
himself, and by none other, Christ made purgation
and satisfaction for the whole w^orld."

304 THE MODEL PREACHER,

WILLIAM C H I L L I N G ^V O R T H .

He was born in 1602, and died in 1644. The
fame of Chillingworth, as an author and controversial-
ist, is world-wide. His excellence, says Barlow, con-
sisted in "his logic, both natural and acquired."
Warren, in his Law Studies, says, "( 'hillingworth is
the writer whose works are recommended for exerci-
tations of the student." Lord Mansfield pronounced
him to be a perfect model of argumentation. Tillot-
son calls him, "incomparable, the glory of his age and
nation." Locke proposes, for the attainment in right
reasoning, the constant reading of Chillingworth, who,
by his example, "will teach both perspicui<.y and the
way of right reasoning better than any bit- k that I
know." His sermons are nine in number, of which
the following is, by common consent, admitted to b(^
the masterpiece:

THE FORM OF GODLINESS AV I T H 0 U T ITS POWER.

" This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come.
For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud,
blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, without
natural affection, truce-breakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, ,
dcspisers of those that are good, traitors, heady, high-minded, lov-
ers of pleasures more than lovers of Godj having a form of godli-
ness, but denying the power thereof." 2 Tim. iii 1-5.

To a discourse upon these words, I can not think
of any fitter introduction than that wherewith our
Savior sometime began a sermon of his, " This day is
this Scripture fulfilled." And I would to God there

PULPIT ORATORS. 305

were not great occasion to fear that a great part of it
may be fulfilled in this place.

Two things are contained in it : First, the real
"wickedness of the generality of the men of the latter
times, in the first four verses. For by *' men shall be
lovers of themselves, covetous, boasters, proud," etc.,
I conceive is meant, men generally shall be so ; other-
,wise this were nothing peculiar to the last, but com-
mon to all times; for in all times, some, nay mu- v,
have been " lovers of themselves, covetous, boasters,
proud," etc. Secondly, we have here the formal and
hypocritical godliness of the same times, in the last
verse : "Having a form of godliness, but denying the
power thereof;" which latter ordinarily and naturally
accompanies the former. For, as the shadows are
longest when the sun is lowest, and as vines and other
fruit-trees bear the less fruit when they are suffered
to luxuriate and spend their sap upon superfluous
suckers, and abundance of leaves; so, commonly, we
may observe, both in civil conversation, where there
is great store of formality, there is little sincerity ;
and in religion, where there is a decay of true cordial
piety, there men entertain and please themselves, and
vainly hope to please God, with external formalities
and performances, and great store of that righteous-
ness for which Christ shall judge the world.

It were no difiicult matter to show that the truth of

St. Paul's prediction is by experience justified in

both parts of it ; but my purpose is to restrain myself

to the latter, and to endeavor to clear unto you that,

26

306 THE MODEL PREACHER.

' that in our times is generally accoraplished : that
almost in all places the power of godliness is decayed
and vanished; the form and profession of it only
remaining; that the spirit, and soul, and life of relig-
ion, is for the most part gone ; only the outward body
or carcass, or rather the picture or shadow of it,
being left behind. This is the doctrine which at this
time I shall deliver to you; and the use, w^hich I
d'-.re most heartily you shall make of it, is this: to
take care that you confute, so far as it concerns your
particulars, what I fear I shall prove true in general.

[Chillingworth here alludes, in few words, to the
promises and professions of many which are disre-
garded, and condemning particularly their vain pre-
tensions in ijrayer, proceeds thus :]

And then, for the Lord's prayer, the plain truth is,
we lie unto God for the most part clean through it ;
and for want of desiring indeed what in word we
prayed for, tell him to his face as many false tales as
we make petitions. For who shows by his endeavors
that he desires heartily that God's name should be
hallowed — that is, holily and religiously worshiped and
adored by all men? That his kingdom should be
advanced and enlarged ; that his blessed will should
be universally obeyed ? lyho shows, by his forsaking
sin, that he desires, so much as he should do, the for-
giveness of it ? Nay, who doth not revenge, upon all
occasions, the affronts, contempts, and injuries put
upon him, and so upon the matter curse himself, as
often as he says, '' Forgive us our trespasses, as wo

PULPIT ORATORS. 307

forgive them that trespass against ns ?" How few de-
pend upon God only for their "daily bread" — namely,
the good things of this life — as npon the only Giver
of them, so as neither to get nor keep any of them,
by any means, which they know or fear to be offen-
sive unto God ! How few desire in earnest to avoid
temptation ! ISTay, who almost is there that takes not
the devil's office out of his hand, and is not himself a
tempter both to himself and others? Lastly, who
almost is there that desires heartily, and above all
things, so much as the thing deserves, to be delivered
from the greatest evil; sin, I mean, and the anger of
God? Now, beloved, this is certain; he that employs
not requisite industry to obtain what he pretends to
desire, does not desire indeed, but only pretends to
do so : he that desires not what he prays for, prays
with tongue only, and not with his heart : indeed does
not pray to God, but play and dally with him. And
yet this is all which men generally do, and therefore
herein also accomplish this prophecy, '' Having a
form of godliness, but denying the powder thereof."

And this were ill enough were it in private ; but we
abuse God Almighty also with our public and solemn
formalities; we make the Church a stage whereon to
act our parts, and play our pageantry; there we make
a profession every day of confessing our sins with
humble, lowly, and obedient hearts; and yet, when
we have talked after this manner twenty, thirty, forty
years together, our hearts for the most part continue
as proud, as impenitent, as disobedient, as they were

308 THE MODEL PREACHER.

in tlio beginning. We make great protestations
''■when we assemble and meet together to render
thanks to God Almighty, for the benefits received at
his hands;" and if this were to be performed with
words, with hosannas and halleluiahs, and gloria
patris, and psalms and hymns, and such like outward
matters, peradventure we should do it very suffi-
ciently; but, in the mean time, with our lives and
actions we provoke the Almighty, and that to his
face, with all -^ariety of grievous and bitter provoca-
tions; we do daily and hourly such things as we
know, and he hath assured us, to be as odious unto
him, and contrary to his nature, as any thing in the
world is to the nature of any man in the world; and all
this upon poor, trifling, trivial, no temptations. If a
man whom j^ou have dealt well with should deal so with
you, one whom you had redeemed from the Turkish
slavery, and instated in some indifferent good inherit-
ance, should make you fine speeches, entertain you
with panegyrics, and have your praises always in his
mouth ; but all this while do nothing that pleases you,
but upon all occasions put all affronts and indignities
upon you: would you say this was a thankful man?
i'Nay, would you not make heaven and earth ring of
his unthankfulness, and detest him almost as much for
his fair speeches as his foul actions? Beloved, such
is our unthankfulness to our God and Creator, to our
Lord and Savior; our tongues ingeminate, and cry
aloud, Hosanna, hosanna, but the louder voice of our
lives and actions is, "Crucify him, crucify him.' We

PULPIT ORATORS. 309

court God Almighty, and compliment with him, and
profess to esteem his service perfect freedom ; but if
any thing be to be done, much more if any thing be
to be suffered for him, here we leave him. We bow
the knee before him, and put a reed in his hand, and
a crown upon his head, and cry, "Hail, King of the
Jevrs;" but then, with our customary sins, we give
him gall to eat and vinegar to drink; we thrust a
spear in his side, nail him to the cross, and crucify to
ourselves the Lord of glory. This is not the office
of a friend to bewail a dead friend with vain lamenta-
tions; sed quce voluerit meininisse, quce mandaverit
exequi — to remember what he desires, and to execute
what he commands. So said a dying Roman to his
friend, and so say I to you. To be thankful to God
is not to say, God be praised, or God be thanked; hut
to rememher luhat he desires, and ex-ecute what he com-
mands. To be thankful to God is certainly to love
him, and to love him is to keep his commandments :
so saith our Savior, ''If ye love me, keep my com-
mandments." If we do so, we, may justly pretend to
thankfulness, which, believe me, is not a word, nor to
be performed with words : but, if we do not so, as
generally we do not, our talk of "thankfulness is
nothing else but mere talk, and we accomplish St.
Paul's prophecy herein also : having a form of
thankfulness, but not the reality, nor the power of it.
If I should reckon up unto you how many direct
lies every wicked man tells to God Almighty, as often
as he says amen to this "form of godliness" which

810 THE MODEL P R E A C II E R .

our Church hath prescribed ; if I should present unto
you all our acting of piety, and playing of humilia-
tion, and personating of devotion, in the psalms, the
litanies, the collects, and generally in the whole serv-
ice, I should be infinite; and, therefore, I have thought
good to draw a vail over a great part of our hypoc-
risy, and to restrain the remainder of the discourse to
the contrariety between our profession and perform-
ance only in two things ; I mean faith and repentance.

And, first, for faith : vre profess, and indeed gen-
erally, because it is not safe to do otherwise, that we
believe the Scripture to be true, and that it contains
the plain and only way to infinite and eternal happi-
ness ; but if we did generally believe what we do pro-
fess, if this were the language of our hearts as well as
our tongues, hov/ comes it to pass that the study of it
is so generally neglected ?

Let a book that treats of the philosopher's stone
promise never so many mountains of gold, and even
the restoring of the golden age again, yet were it no
marvel if few should study it; and the reason is, be-
cause few would believe it. But if there were a book
extant, and ordinary to be had, as the Bible is, which
men did generally believe to contain a plain and easy
way for all men to become rich, and to live in health
and pleasure, and this world's happiness, can any man
imagine that this book would be unstudied by any
man ? And why then should I not believe that, if the
Scripture were firmly and heartily believed, the cer-
tain and only Avay to happiness., which is perfect and

PULPIT ORATORS. 311

eternal, it would be studied by all men with all dili-
gence ? Seeing, therefore, most Christians are so
cold and negligent in the study of it, prefer all other
business, all other pleasures before it, is there not
great reason to fear that many who pretend to believe
it firmly believe it not at all, or very weakly and
faintly? If the general of an army, or an embassa-
dor to some prince or state, were assured by the king
his master that the transgressing any point of his
commission should cost him his life, and the exact
performance of it be recompensed with as high a re-
w^ard as were in the king's power to bestow upon
him ; can it be imagined that any man who believes
this, and is in his right mxind, can be so supinely and
stupidly negligent of this charge, which so much im-
ports him, as to oversee, through want of care, any
one necessary article or part of his commission, espe-
cially if it be delivered to him in writing, and at h s
pleasure to peruse it every day? Certainly this ab-
surd negligence is a thing without example, and such
as peradventure Avill never happen to any sober man
to the world's end; and, by the same reason, if we
were firmly persuaded that this book doth indeed
contain that charge and commission which infinitely
more concerns us, it were not in reason possible but
that to such a persuasion our care and diligence
about it should be in some measure answerable. See-
ing, therefore, most of us are so strangely careless,
so grossly negligent of it, is there not great reason to
fear that though we have professors and protestors in

312 THE MODEL PREACHER'.

abundance, yet the fiiitliful, tlie truly and sincerely
faithful, are, in a manner, failed from the children of
men ? What but this can be the cause that men are
so commonly ignorant of so .many articles and partic-
ular mandates of it, which yet are as manifest in it as
if they were written with the beams of the sun ? For
example, how few of our ladies and gentlewomen do
or will understand that a voluptuous life is damnable
and prohibited to them ! Yet St. Paul saith so very
plainly, " She that liveth in pleasure is dead while
she liveth." I believe that this case directly regards
not the sex ; he would say he, as well as she, if there
had been occasion. How few of the gallants of our
time do or will understand that it is not lawful for
them to be as expensive and costly in apparel as their
means, or perhaps their credit, will extend unto !
Which is to sacrifice unto vanity that which by the
law of Christ is due unto charity; and yet the same
St. Paul forbids plainly this excess, even to women —
''Also let women"' — he would have said it much rather
to men — " array themselves in comely apparel, with
shamefacedness and modesty, not with embroidered
hair, or gold, or pearls, or costly apparel." And, to
make our ignorance the more inexcusable, the very
same rule is delivered by St. Peter also.

How few rich men are or will be persuaded, that
the law of Christ permits them not to heap up riches
forever, nor perpetually to add house to house, and
land to land, though by lawful means; but requires
of them thus much charity at least, that ever, whiio

PULPIT ORATORS. 313

they are providing for their wives and children, they
should, out of the increase wherewith God hath
blessed their industry, allot the poor a just and free
proportion ! And when they have provided for them
in a convenient manner — such as they themselves
shall judge sufficient and convenient in others — that
then they should give over making purchase after
pui'chase ; but with the surplusage of their revenue
beyond their expense, procure, as much as lies in
them, that no Christian remain miserably poor; few
rich men, I fear, are or w411 be thus persuaded, and
their daily actions show as much; yet undoubtedly,
either our Savior's general command, of loving our
neighbors as ourselves, which can hardly consist with
our keeping vainly, or spending vainly, what he wants
for his ordinary subsistence, lays upon us a necessity
of this high liberality : or his special command con-
cerning this matter: Quod superest date pauperibus,
'' That which remains give to the poor :" or that which
St. John saith, reacheth home- unto it : " Whosoever
hath this world's good, and seeth his brother have
need, and shutteth up the bowels of his compassion
from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him?"
Which is, in effect, as if he had said, he that keepeth
from any brother in Christ that which his brother
wants, and he wants not, doth but vainly think that
he loves God ; and, therefore, vainly hopes that God
loves him.

Where almost are the men that are or will be per-
suaded, the Gospel of Christ requires of men humil-

27

314 THE MODEL PKEACHER.

ity, like to that of little children, and that under the
highest pain of damnation ? That is, that we should
no more overvalue ourselves, or desire to be highly
esteemed by others ; no more undervalue, scorn, or
despise others ; no more affect pre-eminence over
others, than little children do, before we have put that
pride into them, which afterward we charge wholly
upon their natural corruption ; and yet our blessed
Savior requires nothing more rigidly, nor more
plainly, than this high degree of humility: "Veri-
ly"— saith he — "I say unto you" — he speaks to his
disciples affecting high places, and demanding which
of them should be greatest — " except you be convert-
ed, and become as little children, ye shall not enter
into the kino^dom of heaven."

Would it not be strange news to a great many, that
not only adultery and fornication, but even unclean-
ness and lasciviousness ; not only idolatry and witch-
craft, but hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, and
contentions ; not only murders, but envyings ; not
drunkenness only, hvc revelings, are things prohibited
to Christians, and 'oUch as, if we forsake them not, we
can not inherit the kingdom of heaven? And yet these
things, as strange as they may seem, are plainly writ-
ten; some of them by St. Peter; but all of them by St.
Paul : '^ Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which
are these, adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lascivi-
ousness," etc., "of the which I tell you before, as I
have told you in times past, that they who do sucli
things, shall not inherit the kingdom of God."

PULPIT ORATORS. 315

If I should tell you that all bitterness and evil-
speaking — na J, such is the modesty and gravity Avhich
Christianity requires of us — foolish talk and jesting,
are things not allowed to Christians, would not many
cry out, "These are hard and strange sayings — who
can hear them?" And yet, as strange as they may
seem, they have been written well-nigh one thousand
six hundred years, and are yet extant in very legible
characters in the epistle to the Ephesians, the end of
the fourth and the beginning of the fifth chapter.

[Chillingworth deprecates briefly and incidentally
the course of the party who were taking up arms
against the King, and then pursues his discourse
thus:]

You see, beloved, how many instances and exam-
ples I have given you of our gross ignorance of what
is necessary and easy for us to know ; and to these it
w^ere no difficult task to add more. Now, from
whence can this ignorance proceed but from supine
negligence? And from whence this negligence, but
from our not believing what we pretend to believe?
For did we believe firmly and heartily that this book
was given us by God for the rule of our actions, and
that obedience to it were the certain and only way to
(Eternal happiness, it were impossible we should be
such enemies to ourselves, such traitors to our own
souls, as not to search it at least with so much dili-
gence that no necessary point of our duty plainly
taught in it could possibly escape us. But it is cer-
tain and apparent to all the world that the greatest

ol6 THE MODEL PHEACHER.

part of Christians, through gross and willful negli-
gence, remain utterly ignorant of many necessary
points of their duty to God and man; and, therefore,
it is much to be feared that this book, and the religion
of Christ contained in it, among an infinity of pro-
fessors, labors with great penury of true believers.

J O HN BUNY AN .

The ^' Shakspeare among divines," as Bunyan has
been justly termed, was born in the year 1628, at El-
stow, in Bedfordshire, the son of a traveling tinker.
In his youth he led a wandering and dissipated life ;
and though frequently convicted of sin, it was not till
twenty-five years of age that he found peace in be-
lieving; at which time he joined a dissenting Baptist
Church in Bedford. Three years subsequent he be-
came a preacher of the Gospel; and after the Resto-
ration, in common with many others, he suffered much
from the cruel persecutions under the reign of that un-
principled tyrant, Charles the Second, and was finally
thrown into Bedford jail, where he was immured
for nearly thirteen years, and where he wrote, among
other works, " The Pilgrim's Progress." Upon his
release he resumed preaching, and was very popular,
attracting immense congregations, whether in his own
meeting-house at Bedford or on his visits to London
and other places. After sixty years of hardship,
persecution, and unwearied toil, he ended his labors

PULPIT ORATORS. 317

Au.^ust 31, 1688, and went up to sit down with tho
shining ones of the Celestial City.

The following is from one of his very long dis-
courses, and is a fair example of his style of
preaching :

THE BARREN' FIG-TREE; OR, THE DOOM AND DOWN-
FALL OF THE FRUITLESS PROFESSOR.

" And he, answering, said unto him, Lord, let it alone this year
also, till I shall dig about it, and dung it; and if it bear fruit, well;
and if not, then after that thou shalt cut it down." Luke xiii, 8, 9.

These are the words of the Dresser of the vineyard,
Avho, I told you, is Jesus Christ — for ''he made in-
tercession for the transgressors" — and they contain
a petition presented to offended Justice, praying that
a little more time and patience might be exercised
toward the barren cumber-ground fig-tree.

In this petition there are six things considerable.
1. That justice might be deferred. "0 that justice
might be deferred! Lord, let it alone," etc., " awhile
longer." 2. Here is time prefixed, as a space to try
if more means will cure a barren fig-tree. "Lord,
let it alone this year also." 3. The means to help it
are propounded: "till I shall dig about it, and dung
it." 4. Here is also an insinuation of a supposition
that, by thus doing, God's expectation may be an-
swered: "and if it bear fruit, well." 5. Here is a
supposition that the barren fig-tree may yet abide
barren, when Christ has done what he will unto it:
**and if it bear fruit," etc. 6. Here is at last a

318 THE MODEL PREACHER.

resolution, that if thou continue barren, hewing
days will come upon thee: ''and if it 15ear fruit,
well ; and if not, then after that thou shalt cut it
down."

But to proceed according to my former method, by
way of exposition.

Lord, let it alone this year also. Here is astonish-
ing grace indeed ! Astonishing grace, I say, that the
Lord Jesus should concern himself with a barren fig-
tree; that he should step in to stop the blow from a
barren fig-tree ! True, he stopped the blow but for a
time; but why did he stop it at all? Why did he not
fetch out the ax? Why did he not do execution?
Why did he not cut it doAvn? Barren fig-tree, it is
well for thee that there is a Jesus at God's right
hand — a Jesus of that largeness of bowels as to have
compassion for a barren fig-tree, else justice had
never let thee alone to cumber the ground as thou
hast done. When Israel also had sinned against God,
down they had gone, but that Moses stood in the
breach. "Let me alone," said God to him, "that I
may consume them in a moment, and I will make of
thee a great nation." Barren fig-tree, dost thou
hear? Thou knowcst not how oft the hand of divine
Justice hath been up to strike, and how many years
since thou hadst been cut down had not Jesus caught
hold of his Father's ax. " Let me alone ! let me
fetch my blow!" or, "Cut it down! why cumbereth it
the ground?" Wilt thou not hear yet, barren fig-
tree? Wilt thou provoke still? Thou hast wearied

PULPIT ORATORS. 319

men, and provoked the justice of God; and wilt thou
weary my God, also ?

Lordj let it alone this tear. "Lord, a little
longer! Let us not lose a soul for want of means.
I vvill try — I will see if I can make it fruitful. I will
not beg a long life, nor that it might still be barren,
and so provoke thee. I beg, for the sake of the soul,
the immortal soul, Lord, spare it one year only — one
year longer — this year also. If I do any good to it,
it will be in little time. Thou shalt not be over-
wearied with waiting ; one year, and then !"

Barren fig-tree, dost thou hear what a striving
there is between the vine-dresser and the husband-
man for thy life? " Cut it down," saith one; "Lord,
spare it," saith the other. " It is a cumber-ground,"
saith the Father. " One year longer," prays the Son.
"Let it alone this year also."

Till I shall dig about it, and dung it. The Lord
Jesus, by these words, supposeth two things as causes
of the want of fruit in a barren fig-tree, and two
things he proposeth as a remedy. The things that
are a cause of the want of fruit, are, 1. It is earth-
bound: "Lord, the fig-tree is earth-bound." 2. A
want of warmer means, or fatter means.

Wherefore accordingly he propoundeth, 1. To loos-
en the earth, to dig about it. 2. And then to supply
it with manure: "to dig about it, and dung it."

Lord, let it alone this year also, till I shall dig
nbout it. I doubt it is too much earth-bound. The
iove of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, lie

320 THE JI 0 D E L PR E A C II E R .

too close to tlie roots of the heart of this professor.
The love of riches, the love of honors, the love of
pleasures, are the thorns that choke the vrord. " For
all that is in the ^vorld, the lust of the flesh, and the
lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the
Father, but of the world." How then — Avhere these
things bind up the heart — can tliere be fruit brought
forth to God?

Barren fig-tree ! see how the Lord Jesus, by these
very words, suggesteth the cause of thy fruitlessness
of soul. The things of this world lie too close to thy
heart; the earth with its things has bound up thy
roots ; thou art an earth-bound soul, thou art wrapped
up in thick clay. "If any man love the world, the
love of the Father is not in him;" how then can he
be fruitful in the vineyard? This kept Judas from
the fruit of caring for the poor. This kept Demas
from the fruit of self-denial. And this kept Ananias
and Sapphira his wife from the goodly fruit of sin-
cerity and truth. What shall I say? These are
" foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in de-
struction and perdition; for the love of money is the
root of all evil." How then can good fruit grow from
such a root, the root of all evil, " which, while some
coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and
pierced themselves through Avith many sorrows ?" It is
an evil root, nay, it is the root of all evil. How then can
the professor that hath such a root, or a root wrapped
up in such earthly things, as the lusts, and pleasures,
and vanities of this world, ]>ring forth fruit to God *r

PULPIT ORATORS. 321

1. Till I shall DIG ahout it. " Lord, I will loosen his
roots; I will dig up this earth, I will lay his roots bare.
Mj hand shall be upon him by sickness, by disappoint-
ments, by cross providences. I will dig about him till
he stands shaking and tottering, till he be ready to
fall ; then, if ever, he will seek to take faster hold."
Thus, I say, deals the Lord Jesus ofttimes with the bar-
ren professor ; he diggeth about him, he smiteth one
blow at his heart, another blow at his lusts, a third at
his pleasures, a fourth at his comforts, another at his
self-conceitedness : thus he dio-creth about him. This
is the way to take bad earth from the roots, and to
loosen his roots from the earth. Barren fig-tree ! see
here the care, the love, the labor, and way, which the
Lord Jesus, the dresser of the vineyard, is fain to
take with thee, if haply thou mayest be made fruitful.

2. Till I shall dig ahout it, and dung it. As the
earth, by binding the roots too closely, may hinder
the tree's being fruitful, so the want of better means
may also be a cause thereof. And this is more than
intimated by the Dresser of the vineyard: 'Hill I
shall dig about it, and dung it." "I will supply it
with a more fruitful ministry, with a warmer word. I
will give them pastors after mine own heart. I will
duno; them." You knovr duno; is a more warm, more
fat, more hearty and succoring matter, than is com-
monly the place in which trees are planted.

I will " dig about it, and dung it." That is,' '' I will
bring it under a heart-awakening ministry; the
means of grace shall be fat and good. I will also

322 THE MODEL PREACHER

visit it with heart-awakening, heart- warming, heart-
encouraging considerations. I will apply warm dung
to its roots. I will strive with him by my Spirit, and
give him some tastes of the heavenly gift, and the
power of the world to come. I am loth to lose him
for want of digging." "Lord, let it alone this year
also, till I shall dig about it, and dung it."

And if it hear fruity well. " And if the fruit of all
my labor doth make this fig-tree fruitful, I shall count
my time, my labor, and means, well bestov/ed upon it.
And thou, also, 0 my God, shalt be therewith much
delighted. For thou art gracious and merciful, and
repentest thee of the evil which thou threatenest to
bring upon a people."

These words, therefore, inform us that if a barren
fig-tree, a barren professor, shall now at last bring
forth fruit to God, it shall go Avell with that professor.
It shall go well with that poor soul. His former bar-
renness, his former tempting of God, his abuse of
God's patience and long-suffering, his misspending
year after year, shall now be all forgiven him. Yea,
God the Father, and our Lord Jesus Christ, will now
pass by, and forget all, and say. Well done, at the last.
"When I say to the wicked, 0 wicked man, thou shalt
surely die; if he then do that which is laAvful and
right, if he walk in the statutes of life, without com-
mitting iniquity, he shall surely live, he shall not
die."

Barren fig-tree ! dost thou hear ? The ax is laid
to thy roots; the Lord Jesus prays God to spare

PULPIT ORATORS. 323

thee. Hath he been do^c'in^ about thee? Hath he
been manuring thee ? 0 barren fig-tree ! now thou art
come to the point. If thou shalt,now become good; if
thou shalt, after a gracious manner, suck in the Gos-
pel, and if thou shalt bring forth fruit unto God, well;
but if not, the fire is the last. Fruit or the fire ; fruit
or the fire, barren fig-tree ! " If it bear fruit, well."

And IF NOT, then after that Thou shalt (nit it
doion. *' And if not," etc. The Lord Jesus, by this
z/", giveth us to understand that there is a generation
of professors in the vrorld that are incurable, that
will not, that can not repent, nor be profited by the
means of grace ; a generation, I say, that will retain
a profession, but will not bring forth fruit ; a genera-
tion that will wear out the patience of God, time and
tide, threatenings and intercessions, judgments and
mercies, and after all will be unfruitful.

0 the desperate wickedness that is in thy heart !
Barren professor, dost thou hear? The Lord Jesus
stands yet in doubt about thee ; there is an if stands
yet in the way. I say, the Lord Jesus stands yet in
doubt about thee, whether or no at last thou wilt be
good ; whether he may not labor in vain ; whether
his dicro-ino; and dun si no; will come to more than lost

CO O a O

labor. "I gave her space to repent, and she repented
not." " I digged about, I dunged it ; I granted time,
and supplied it with means ; but I labored here in
vain, and spent my strength for naught and in vain."
Dost thou hear, barren fig-tree? There is yet a queS'
tion whether it will be well with thy soul at last?

324 THE MODEL PREACHER.

And if not, after that Thou sJialt cut it down.
There is nothing more exasperating to the mind of
a man than to find all his kindness and favor slighted.
Neither is the Lord Jesus so provoked with any thing,
as when sinners abuse his means of grace. " If it be
b.irren and fruitless under my Gospel ; if it turn my
grace into wantonness ; if after digging and dunging,
and waiting, it yet remain unfruitful, I will let thee
cut it down."

Gospel-means applied, is the last remedy for a bar-
ren professor. If the Gospel, if the grace of the
Gospel will not do, there can be nothing expected,
but "■ cut it down." '' Then after that thou shalt cut
it down." " 0 Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that
killest the prophets, and stonest them that are sent
unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy chil-
dren together, as a hen gathereth her chickens under
her wings, and ye would not ! Behold your house is
left unto you desolate." Yet it can not be but that
this Lord Jesus who at first did put a stop to the exe-
cution of his Father's justice, because he desired to
try more means with the fig-tree ; I say it can not be
but that a heart so full of compassion as his is,
should be touched to behold this professor must now
be cut down. " And when He was come near, he
beheld the city, and wept over it, saying. If thou
hadst known, even thou, at least in this thy day, the
things which belong unto thy peace! But now they
arc hid from tliine eyes."

After that Tiiou siialt cut it down. When Christ

PULPIT ORATORS. 325

giveth thee over, there is no intercessor or mediator,
no more sacrifice for sin. All is gone but judgment,
but the ax, but " a certain fearful looking-for of judg-
ment, and fiery indignation, which shall devour the
adversaries."

Barren fig-tree ! take heed that thou comest not to
these last words, for these words are a give-up, a
cast-up, a cast-up of a castaway. " After that thou
shalt cut it down." They are as much as if Christ
had said, " Father, I begged for more time for this
barren professor ; I begged till I should dig about it,
and dung it; but now. Father, the time is out, the
year is ended, the summer is ended, and no good
done. I have also tried with my means, with the
Gospel; I have digged about it ; I have laid also the
fat and hearty dung of the Gospel to it; but all comes
to nothing. Father, I deliver up this professor to
thee again ; I have done. I have done all, I have
done pra^ang and endeavoring, I will hold the head
of thine ax no longer ; take him into the hands of
justice. Do justice ! Do the law ! I w^ll never beg
for him more." "After that thou shalt cut it down."
"Woe unto them when I depart from them!"

GEORGE WHITEFIELD.

When he was preaching from the text, "Where-
fore glorify ye the Lord in the fires," Isa. xxiv, 15,
he said, " When I was some years ago at Shields, I
went into a glass house, and standing very attentively

326 THE MODEL PREACHER.

I saw several masses of burning glass of various
forms. The workman took one piece of glass and
put it into one furnace, then he put it into a second,
then into a third. I asked him, ^Why do you put
that into so many fires ?' He answered me, ' 0, sir
the first was not hot enough, nor the second, and
therefore we put it into the third, and that will make
it transparent.' 0, thought I, does this man put
this glass into one furnace after another that it may
be rendered perfect? 0 my God, put me into one
furnace after another, that my soul may be trans-
parent, that I may .see God as he is."

I will add the closing paragraphs of his sermon on

THE KINGDOM OF GOD.

'' For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink ; but righteous-
nees, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost." Rom. xiv, 17.
^ ^ :^ ^^ ^i ilt -^ :^ :^

Here, then, we will put the kingdom of God togeth-
er. It is ''righteousness," it is "peace," it is "joy in
the Holy Ghost." When this is placed in the heart,
God there reigns, God there dwells and walks —
the creature is a son or daughter of the Almighty.
But, my friends, how few are there here who have
been made partakers of this kingdom ! Perhaps the
kingdom of the devil, instead of the kingdom of God,
is in most of our hearts. This has been a place
much favored of God ; may I hope some of you can
go along with me and say, " Blessed be God, we have
got righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost!"

PULPIT ORATOES.' 327

Have you so ? Then you are kings, though beggars ;
you are happy above all men in the world — you
have got heaven in your hearts ; and when the
crust of your bodies drops, your souls will meet
with God, your souls will enter into the world of
peace, and you shall be happy with God for ever-
more. I hope that there is none of you who will
fear death ; fie for shame, if ye do ! What, afraid
to go to Jesus, to your Lord ? You may cry out,
"0 death, where is thy sting? 0 grave, where is thy
victory?" Y.ou may go on your way rejoicing, know-
mg that God is your friend ; die when you will, an-
gels will carry you safe to heaven.

But, 0, how many are here in this church-yard,
who will be laid in some grave erelong, who are en-
tire strangers to this work of God upon their souls !
My dear friends, I think this is an awful sight. Here
are many thousands of souls that must shortly ap-
pear with me, a poor creature, in the general assembly
of all mankind before God in judgment. God Al-
mighty knows whether some of you may not drop down
dead before you go out of the church-yard ; and yet,
perhaps most are strangers to the Lord Jesus Christ in
their hearts. Perhaps curiosity has brought you out
to hear a poor babbler preach. But, my friends, 1
hope I came out of a better principle. If I know any
thing of my heart, I came to promote God's glory, and
if the Lord should make use of such a worthless
worm, such a wretched creature, as I am, to do your
precious souls good, nothing would rejoice me more

828 THE MODEL PREACHER.

than to liear that Gocl makes the foolishness of
preaching a means of making many believe. I was
long myself deceived with a form of godliness, and 1
know what it is to be a factor for the devil, to be led
captive by the devil at his will, to have the kingdom
of the devil in my heart; and I hope I can say,
through free grace, I know what it is to have the
kingdom of God erected in me. It is God's goodness
that such a poor wretch as I am converted ; though
sometimes when I am speaking of God's goodness 1
am afraid he will strike me down dead. Let me
draw out my soul and heart to you, my dear friends,
my dear guilty friends, poor bleeding souls, who
must shortly take your last farewell, and fly into
endless eternity. Let me entreat you to lay these
things seriously to heart this night. Now, when the
Sabbath is over, and the evening is drawing near,
methinks the very sight is awful — I could almost weep
over you, as our Lord did over Jerusalem — to think
in how short a time every soul of you must die —
some of you to go to heaven, and others to go to
the devil for evermore.

0 my dear friends, these are matters of eternal
moment. I did not come to tickle your ears ; if I
had a mind to do so, I would play the orator; no, but I
came, if God should be pleased, to touch your hearts.
What shall I say to you? Open the door of your
heart, that the King of glory, the blessed Jesus,
may come in and erect his kingdom in your soul
Make room for Christ ; the Lord Jesus desires to sup

PULPIT ORATORS. 329

^Yitll you to-night ; Christ is willing to come into any
of your hearts, that will be pleased to open and re-
ceive him. Are there any of you made willing
Lydias? There are many women here, but how
many Lydias are there here ? Does power go with
the word to open your heart? and find you a sweet
melting in your soul? Are you willing? Then
Christ Jesus is willing to come to you. But you may
say, Will Christ come to my wicked, polluted heart ?
Yes, though you have many devils in your heart,
Christ will come and erect his throne there ; though
the devils be in your heart, the Lord Jesus will
scourge out a legion of devils, and his throne shall be
exalted in thy soul. Sinners, be ye what you will,
come to Christ, you shall have righteousness and peace.
If you have no peace, come to Christ, and he will give
you peace. When you come to Christ, you will feel
such joy that it is impossible for you to tell. 0, may
God pity you all ! I hope this will be a night of sal-
vation to some of your souls.

My dear friends, I would preach with all my heart
till midnight, to do you good, till I could preach no
more. 0, that this body might hold out to speak
more for my dear Redeemer ! Had I a thousand
lives, had I a thousand tongues, they should be em-
ployed in inviting sinners to come to Jesus Christ I
Come, then, let me prevail with some of you to come
along with me. Come, poor, lost, undone sinner,
come just as you are to Christ, and say. If I bo

damned, I will perish at the feet of Jesus Christ,

28

830 THE MODEL PREACHER.

■yvliere never one perished yet. He will receive you
with open arms; the dear Redeemer is willing to re-
ceive you all. Fly, then, for your lives. The devil is
in you while unconverted; and will you go with the
devil in your heart to bed this night ? God Almighty
knows if ever you and I shall see one another again
In one or two days more I must go, and, perhaps, I
may never see you again till I meet you at the
judgm.ent-day. 0 my dear friends, think of that
solemn meeting ; think of that important hour, when
the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, when
the elements shall melt with fervent heat, when the
sea and the grave shall be giving up their dead, and
all shall be summoned to appear before the great God.
What will you do then, if the kingdom of God is not
erected in your hearts ? You must go to the devil — like
must go to like — if you are not converted. Christ
hath asserted it in the strongest manner : '' Verily,
verily, I say unto you, except a man be born again, he
can not enter into the kingdom of God." Who can dwell
with devouring fire ? Who can dwell with everlasting
burnings ? 0, my heart is melting with love to you.
Surely God intends to do good to your poor souls.
Will no one be persuaded to accept of Christ ? If
those who are settled Pharisees will not come, I de-
sire to speak to you who are drunkards, Sabbath-
breakers, cursors and swearers — will you come to
Christ ? I know that many of you come here out of
curiosity: though you come only to see the congrega-
tion, yet if you come to Jesus Christ, Christ will

PULPIT OUATOES. 331

iiccept of yon. Are there any cursing, swearing sol-
diers here ? Will you come to Jesus Christ, and list
yourselves under the banner- of the dear Redeemer V
You are all welcome to Christ. Are there any little
boys or little girls here ? Come to Christ, and he will
erect his kingdom in you. There are many little chil-
dren whom God is working on, both at home and
abroad. 0, if some of the little lambs would come to
Christ, they shall have peace and joy in the day that
the Redeemer shall set up his kingdom in their hearts.
Parents tell them that Jesus Christ will take them in
his arms, that he will dandle them on his knees. All
of you, old and young, you that are old and gray-
headed, come to Jesus Christ, and you shall be kings
and priests to your God. The Lord will abundantly
pardon you at the eleventh hour. " Ho, every one
of you that thirsteth." If there be any one of you
ambitious of honor, do you want a crown, a scepter ?
Come to Christ, and the Lord Jesus Christ will give
you a kingdom that no man shall take from you.

CHRISTMAS EVANS.

This great pulpit orator was born at Ysgarwen,
Cardiganshire, South Wales, on the 25th of Decem-
ber, 1766. On the sixteenth of July, 1838, he
preached at Swansea, and said, as he sat down, " This
is my last sermon ;" and so it proved ; for that night
he was taken violently ill, and died three days after-

yp,2 THE MODEL PEEACHER.

ward, ill liis scvent^'-tliird year, and the fifty-fourth
of his ministry.

Evans's descriptive powers were perhaps never ex-
celled. His imagination was of the imperial order,
and absolutely knew no bounds ; and his facility in
the ready use of language altogether wonderful. Be-
sides this, he was a man of the liveliest sensibilities,
and always spoke out of a full heart, sometimes
storming his hearers with his impassioned earnest-
ness, and sometimes himself overwhelmed with the
magnitude and grandeur of his theme. Add to this
his pre-eminent faith and holiness of life, and we dis-
cover the secret of bis astonishing pulpit eloquence —
which, according to Robert Hall, entitles him to be
ranked among the first men of his age. The best
edition of Evans's sermons is that by Joseph Cross.
Of course no translator can do him full justice, but
the wide popularity of these discourses is the best
evidence of their real merit, though in a foreign dress.
Perhaps there is no one, upon the whole, superior
to that which is here given. It contains one or two
passages, which, for originality and brilliancy of con-
ception, and for force of utterance, are absolutely un-
rivaled.

THE F A 1. 1. A K D R K C 0 V E U Y O F Jf A N ,

'Tor if, through the oflfcnse of one, many be dead ; much more
the grace of God, and the gift by grace, which is by one man, Jesu^
Christ, hath abounded unto many." Homans v, 15.

Man was created in the image of God. Know!
edge and perfect holiness were impressed upon tlie

PULPIT ORATORS. 333

very nature and faculties of his soul. lie had con-
stant access to his Maker, and enjoyed free com-
munion with him, on the ground of his spotless
moral rectitude. But, alas ! the glorious diadem is
broken ; the crown of righteousness is fallen. Man's
purity is gone, and his happiness is forfeited. " There
is none righteous; no, not one." "All have sinned,
and come short of the glory of God." But the ruin
is not hopeless. What was lost in Adam is restored
in Christ. His blood redeems us from bondage, and
his Gospel gives us back the forfeited inheritance.
^' For if, through the offense of one, many be dead ;
much more the grace of God, and the gift by grace,
which is by one man, Jesus Christ, hath abounded
unto many." Let us consider : first^ the corrup-
tion and condemnation of man ; and, secondly^ his
gracious restoration to the favor of his offended
God.

1. To find the cause of man's corruption and con-
demnation we must go back to Eden. The eating of
the "forbidden tree" was "the offense of one," in
consequence of which " many are dead." This was
the "sin," the act of "disobedience," which "brought
death into the world, and all our woe." It was
the greatest ingratitude to the divine bounty, and
the boldest rebellion ao;ainst the divine sovereis-ntv.
The royalty of God was contemned; the riches of
his goodness slighted; and his most desperate
enemy preferred before him, as if he were a wiser
counselor than Infinite Wisdom. Thus man joined in

834 THE MODEL PEE AC II EH.

leao-ue ^vitli hell, against heaven; with demons of tho
bottomless pit, against the almighty Maker and Ben-
efactor; robbing God of the obedience due to his
command, and the glorj^ due to his name; worship-
ino- the creature, instead of the Creator; and opening
the door to pride, unbelief, enmity, and all wicked and
abominable passions. How is the ^' noble vine,"
which was planted "wholly a right seed," "turned
into the degenerate plant of a strange vine!"

Who can look for pure water from such a fountain?
'' That which is born of the flesh is flesh." All the
faculties of the soul are corrupted by sin; the under-
standing dark ; the will perverse ; the affections carnal ;
the conscience full of shame, remorse, confusion, and
mortal fear. Man is a hard-hearted and stiff-necked
sinner ; loving darkness rather than light, because his
deeds are evil; eating sin like bread, and drinking
iniquity like water; holding fast deceit, and refusing
to let it go. His heart is desperately wicked; full
of pride, vanity, hypocrisy, covetousness, hatred of
truth, and hostility to all that is good.

This depravity is universal. Among the natural
children of Adam there is no exemption from the
original taint. "The whole world lieth in wicked-
ness." "We are all as an unclean thing, and all our
righteousness is as filthy rags." The corruption may
vary in the degrees of development, in different per-
sons; but the elements are in all, and their nature is
every-where the same; the same in the blooming
youth, and the withered sire; in the haughty prince,

PULPIT ORATORS. 335

And the humble peasant; in the strongest giant, and
the feeblest invalid. The enemy has " come in like a
flood." The deluge of sin has swept the world.
From the highest to the lowest, there is no health or
moral soundness. Erom the crown of the head to
the soles of the feet, there is nothing but wounds,
and bruises, and putrefying sores. The laws, and
their violation, and the punishments every-where in-
vented for the suppression of vice, prove the univer-
sality of the evil. The bloody sacrifices and various
purifications of the pagans show the handwriting of
remorse upon their consciences; proclaim their sense
of guilt, and their dread of punishment. None of
them are free from the fear which hath torment,
whatever their efforts to overcome it, and however
great their boldness in the service of sin and Satan.
" Mene ! Tekel !" is written on every human heart.
"Wanting! wanting!" is inscribed on heathen fanes
and altars ; on the laws, customs, and institutions of
every nation ; and on the universal consciousness of
mankind.

This inward corruption manifests itself in outward
actions. " The tree is known by its fruit." As the
sm.oke and sparks of a chimney show that there is
fire within; so all the "filthy conversation" of men,
and all "the unfruitful works of darkness" in which
they delight, evidently indicate the pollution of the
source whence they proceed. " Out of the abundance
of the heart the mouth speaketh." The sinner's
speech betrayeth him. "Evil speaking" proceeds

1336 THE MODEL PREACHER.

from malice and envy. " Foolish talking and jest
ing " are evidence of impure and trifling thoughts.
The mouth full of cursing and bitterness, the throat
an open sepulcher, the poison of asps under the
tongue, the feet swift to shed blood, destruction and
misery in their paths, and the way of peace unknown
to them, are the clearest and amplest demonstration
that men ^'have gone out of the way," "have together
become unprofitable.^' We see the bitter fruit of the
same corruption in robbery, adultery, glutton}^, drunk-
enness, extortion, intolerance, persecution, apostasy,
and every evil work — in all false religions; the Jew,
obstinately adhering to the carnal ceremonies of an
abrogated law; the Mohammedan, honoring an impos-
tor, and receiving a lie for a revelation from God; the
Papist, worshiping images and relics, praying to
departed saints, seeking absolution from sinful men,
and trusting in the most absurd mummeries for salva-
tion; the pagan, attributing divinity to the works of
his own hands, adoring idols of wood and stone, sac-
rificing to malignant demons, casting his children into
the fire or the flood as an oftering to imaginary
deities, and changing the glory of the incorruptible
God into the likeness of the beast and the Avorm.

*'For these things' sake the wrath of God cometh
upon the children of disobedience." They are under
the sentence of the broken law ; the malediction of
eternal Justice. "By the offense of one, judgment
came upon all men unto condemnation." "He that
believeth not is condemned already." " The wrath

PULPIT ORATORS. 337

of God abidetli on him." " Cursed is every one that
continueth not in all things written in the book of the
law, to do them." ^' Woe unto the wicked ; it shall be
ill with him, for. the reward of his hands shall be given
him." " They that plow iniquity, and sow wicked-
ness, shall reap the same." " Upon the wicked the
Lord shall rain fire, and snares, and a horrible tem-
pest ; this shall be the portion of their cup." ^' God
is angry with the wicked every day; if he turn not,
he will whet his sword; he hath bent his bow, and
made it ready."

Who shall describe the misery of fallen man ! His
days, though few, are full of evil. Trouble and sor-
row press him forward to the tomb. All the world,
except Noah and his family, are drowning in the
deluge. A storm of fire and brimstone is fallen from
heaven upon Sodom and Gomorrah. The earth is
opening her mouth to swallow up alive Korah, Da-
than, and Abiram. Wrath is coming upon "the
Beloved City," even " wrath unto the uttermost."
The tender and delicate mother is devouring her dar-
ling infant. The sword of men is executing the
vengeance of God. The earth is emptying its inhab-
itants into the bottomless pit. On every hand are
*' confused noises, and garments rolled in blood."
Fire and sword fill the land with consternation and
dismay. Amid the universal devastation, wild shrieks
and despairing groans fill the air. God of mercy! is
thy ear heavy, that thou canst not hear? or thy arm

shortened that thou canst not save? The heavens

29

338 THE MODEL PREACHER.

above are brass, and the earth beneath is iron; for
Jehovah is pouring his indignation upon his adver-
saries, and he will not pity or spare.

Verily, "the misery of man is great upon him I"
Behold the "wretched fallen creature ! The pestilence
pursues him. The leprosy cleaves to him. Consump-
tion is wasting him. Inflammation is devouring his
vitals. Burning fever has seized upon the very
springs of life. The destroying angel has overtaken
the sinner in his sins. The hand 'of God is upon him.
The fires of wrath are kindling about him, drying up
every well of comfort, and scorching all his hopes
to ashes. Conscience is chastising him with scor-
pions. See how he writhes ! Hear how he shrieks
for help ! Mark what agony and terror are in his
soul, and on his brow ! Death stares him in the face,
and shakes at him his iron spear. He trembles, he
turns pale, as a culprit at the bar, as a convict on the
scaifold. He is condemned already. Conscience has
pronounced the sentence. Anguish has taken hold
upon him. Terrors gather in battle array about him.
He looks back, and the storms of Sinai pursue him ;
forward, and hell is moved to meet him ; above, and
the heavens are on fire ; beneath, and the world is
burning. He listens, and the judgment trump is call-
ing ; again, and the brazen chariots of vengeance are
thundering from afar ; yet again, and the sentence
penetrates his soul with anguish unspeakable — " De-
part ! ye accursed ! into everlasting fire, prepared for
the devil and his angels !"

PULPIT ORATORS. 339

Thus, "bj one man, sin entered into tlie world,
and death by sin ; and so death passed upon all men,
for that all have sinned." They are "dead in tres-
passes and sins;" spiritually dead, and legally dead;
dead by the mortal power of sin, and dead by the
condemnatory sentence of the law; and helpless as
sheep to the slaughter, they are driven fiercely on by
the ministers of wrath to the all-devouring grave, and
the lake of fire I

But is there no mercy ? Is there no means of
salvation ? Hark ! amidst all this prelude of wrath
and ruin, comes a still small voice, saying : " much
more the grace of God, and the gift by grace, which
is by one man, Jesus Christ, hath abounded unto
many."

2. This brings us to our second topic, man's gra-
cious recovery to the favor of his offended God.

I know not how to represent to you this glorious
work, better than by the following figure. Suppose a
vast graveyard, surrounded by a lofty wall, with only
one entrance, which is by a massive iron gate, and
that is fast bolted. Within are thousands and millions
of human beings, of all ages and classes, by one epi-
demic disease bending to the grave. The graves yawn
to swallow them, and they must all perish. There is
no balm to relieve, no physician there. Such is the
condition of man as a sinner. All have sinned ; and
it is written, " The soul that sinneth shall die."
But while the unhappy race lay in that dismal prison,
Mercy came and stood at the gate, and wept over

340 THE MODEL PREACHER.

the melancholy scene, exclaiming, " 0 that I might
enter ! I would bind up their wounds ; I would re-
lieve their sorrows ; I would save their souls !'^ An
embassy of angels, commissioned from the court of
heaven to some other world, paused at the sight, and
heaven forgave that pause. Seeing Mercy standing
there, they cried: ''Mercy! canst thou not enter?
Canst thou look upon that scene and not pity? Canst
thou pity, and not relieve ?" Mercy replied : " I can
see !" and in her tears she added, " I can pity, but I
can not relieve !" " Why canst thou not enter ?"
inquired the heavenly host. " 0 !" said Mercy,
"Justice has barred the gate against me, and I must
not — can not unbar it!" At this moment Justice
appeared, as if to watch the gate. The angels asked,
"Why Avilt thou not suffer Mercy to enter?" He
sternly replied : " The law is broken, and it must be
honored ! Die they or Justice must !" Then appeared
a form among the angelic band like unto the Son of
God. Addressing himself to Justice, he said : " What
are thy demands ?" Justice replied : " My demands
are rigid ; I must have ignominy for their honor, sick-
ness for their health, death for their life. Without
the shedding of blood there is no remission !" "Jus-
tice," said the Son of God, " I accept thy terms ! On
me be this wrong ! Let Mercy enter, and stay the
carnival of death!" "What pledge dost thou give
for the performance of these conditions ?" " My
word ; my oath !" " When wilt thou perform them ?"
" Four thousand years hence, on the hill of Calvary,

PULPIT ORATORS. 841

without the walls of Jerusalem !" The bond Avna
prepared, and signed and sealed in the presence of
attendant angels. Justice was satisfied, the gate was
opened, and Mercy entered, preaching salvation in
the name of Jesus. The bond was committed to
patriarchs and prophets. A long series of rites and
ceremonies, sacrifices and oblations, was instituted to
perpetuate the memory of that solemn deed. At the
close of the four thousandth year, when Daniel's
"seventy weeks" were accomplished, Justice and
Mercy appeared on the hill of Calvary. "Where,"
said Justice, "is the Son of God?" "Behold him,"
answered Mercy, " at the foot of the hill !" And
there he came, bearing his own cross, and followed by
his weeping Church. Mercy retired, and stood aloof
from the scene. Jesus ascended the hill, like a lamb
for the sacrifice. Justice presented the dreadful bond,
saying, " This is the day on which this article must be
canceled." The Redeemer took it. What did he
do with it? Tear it in pieces, and scatter it to the
winds ? No ! He nailed it to his cross, crying, " It
is finished !" The Victim ascended the altar. Justice
called on holy fire to come down and consume the
sacrifice. Holy fire replied: "I come! I will con-
sume the sacrifice, and then I will burn up the
world!" It fell upon the Son of God, and rapidly
consumed his humanity; but when it touched his
Deity, it expired. Then was there darkness over the
whole land, and an earthquake shook the mountain,
but the heavenly host broke forth in rapturous song —

342 THE MODEL PREACHER.

'' Glory to God in the highest ! on earth peace, good
will to man !"

Thus grace has abounded, and the free gift has
come upon all, and the Gospel has gone forth pro-
claiming redemption to every creature. "Bj grace
ye are saved, through faith; and that not of your-
selves; it is the gift of God; not of works, lest any
man should boast." By grace ye are loved, re-
deemed, and justified. By grace ye are called, con-
verted, reconciled, and sanctified. Salvation is wholly
of grace. The plan, the process, the consummation,
are all of grace.

" Grace all the work shall crowu
Through everlasting days ;
It lays in heaven the topmost stone,
And well deserves the praise."

"Where sin abounded, grace hath much more
abounded." " Through the offense of one, many were
dead." And as men multiplied, the offense abounded.
The waters deluged the world, but could not wash
away the dreadful stain. The fire fell from heaven,
but could not burn out the accursed plague. The
earth opened her mouth, but could not swallow
up the monster sin. The law thundered forth its
threat from the thick darkness on Sinai, but could not
restrain, by all its terrors, the children of disobedi-
ence. Still the offense abounded and multiplied as
the sands on the sea-shore. It waxed bold, and
pitched its tent on Calvary, and nailed the Lawgiver
to a tree. But in that conflict sin received its mortal

PULPIT ORATORS. 343

wound. The Victim was tlie Victor. He fell, but in
his fall he crushed the foe. He died unto sin, but sin
and death were crucified upon his cross. Where sin
abounded to condemn, grace hath much more abound-
ed to justify. Where sin abounded to corrupt, grace
hath much more abounded to purify. Where sin
abounded to harden, grace hath much more abounded
to soften and subdue. Where sin abounded to im-
prison men, grace hath much more abounded to pro-
claim liberty to the captives. Where sin abounded to
break the law and dishonor the Lawgiver, grace hath
much more abounded to repair the breach and efface
the stain. Where sin abounded to consume the soul
as with unquenchable fire and a* gnawing worm, grace
hath much more abounded to extinguisli the flame and
heal the wound. Grace hath abounded ! It hath es-
tablished its throne on the merit of the Redeemer's
sufferings. It hath put on the crown, and laid hold
of the golden scepter, and spoiled the dominion of
the prince of darkness, and the gates of the great
cemetery are thrown open, and there is the beating
of a new life-pulse throughout its wretched popula-
tion, and Immortality is walking among the tombs !

This abounding grace is manifested in the gift of
Jesus Christ, by whose mediation our reconciliation
and salvation are effected. With him, believers aie
dead unto sin and alive unto God. Our sins were
slain at his cross and buried in his tomb. His resur-
rection hath opened our graves and given us an as-
surance of immortality. " God commendeth his iove

34'i THE MODEL PREACHER.

toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ
di*e(l for us; much more, then, being now justified by
his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him ,
for if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to
God by the death of his Son, much more, being rec-
onciled, we shall be saved by his life."

" The carnal mind is enmity against God ; it is not
subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be."
Glory to God for the death of his Son, by which this
enmity is slain, and reconciliation is effected between
the rebel and the law! This was the unspeakable
gift that saved us. from ruin — that wrestled with the
storm and turned it away from the devoted head of
the sinner. Had all the angels of God attempted to
stand between these two conflicting seas, they would
have been swept to the gulf of destruction. "The
blood of bulls and goats, on Jewish altars slain,"
could not take away sin — could not pacify the con-
science. But Christ the gift of divine Grace, "Pas-
chal Lamb by God appointed," a "sacrifice of nobler
name and richer blood than they," bore our sins and
carried our sorrows, and obtained for us the boon of
eternal redemption. He met the fury of the tempest,
and the floods went over his head ; but his offering
was an offering of peace, calming the storms and the
waves, magnifying the law, glorifying its Author, and
rescuing its violator from wrath and ruin. Justice
hath laid down his sword at the foot of the cross, and
amity is restored between heaven and earth.

Hither, 0 ye guilty! come and cast away your

PULPIT ORATORS. 345

weapons of rebellion! Come with your bad princi-
ples and ATicked actions — your unbelief, and enmity,
and pride, and throw them off at the Redeemer's
feet ! God is here, waiting to be gracious. He will
receive you — he will cast all your sins behind his
back, into the depths of the sea, and they shall be re-
membered against you no more forever. By Heaven's
" unspeakable gift," by Christ's invaluable atonement,
by the free and infinite grace of the Father and the
Son, we persuade you, we beseech you, we entreat
you, "be ye reconciled to God!"

It is by the work of the Holy Spirit Avithin us, that
we obtain a personal interest in the work wrought on
Calvary for us. If our sins are canceled, they are
also crucified. If we are reconciled in Christ, we
fio;ht ao-ainst our God no more. This is the fruit of
faith. " With the heart man believeth unto righteous-
ness." May the Lord inspire in every one of us that
saving principle !

But those who have been restored to the divine fa-
vor may sometimes be cast down and dejected. They
have passed through the sea, and sung praises on the
shore of deliverance, but there is yet between them
and Canaan " a waste howling wilderness," a long and
weary pilgrimage, hostile nations, fiery serpents,
scarcity of food, and the river Jordan. Fears within
and fightings without; they may grow discouraged,
and yield to temptation, and murmur against God,
and desire to return to Egypt. But fear not, thou
worm Jacob! Reconciled by the death of Christ;

346 THE MODEL PREACHER.

much more, being reconciled, thou shalt be saved by
his life. His death Avas the price of our redemption;
his life insures liberty to the believer. If by his
death he brought you through the Red Sea in the
night, by his life he can lead you through the river
Jordan in the day. If by his death he delivered you
from the iron furnace in Egypt, by his life he can
save you from all the perils of the wilderness. If by
his death he conquered Pharaoh, the chief foe, by his
life he can subdue Sihon, King of the Amorites, and
Og, the King of Bashan. " We shall be saved by his
life." "Because he liveth, we shall live also." "Be
of good cheer!" The work is finished; the ransom
is effected; the kingdom of heaven is opened to all
believers. "Lift up your heads and rejoice," "ye
prisoners of hope!" There is no debt unpaid, no
devil unconquered, no enemy within ^^our own hearts
that has not received a mortal wound ! " Thanks be
unto God, who giveth us the victory, through our Lord
Jesus Christ!"

SPDRGEON.

The following is an extract from one of Spurgeon's
sermons. (Fourth Series : Sheldon & Co., New York.)

" Therefore let us not sleep, as do others ; but let us watch and Ic
sober." 1 Thkss. v, C.
?[; ;;: ;!' ^i- ;;: ?Ji jjc j|j ^

II. Thus I have occupied a great deal of time in
explaining the first point — What was the sleep which

PULPIT ORATORS. 347

the apostle meant? And now you will notice that
the word "therefore" implies that there are certain
REASONS FOR THIS. I shall give you these reasons ;
and if I should cast them somewhat into a dramatic
form, you must not wonder; they will the batter, per-
haps, be remembered. " Therefore," says the apos-
tle, '^'let us not sleep."

We shall first look at the chapter itself for our rea-
sons. The first reason precedes the text. The apos-
tle tells us that " we are all the children of the light
and of the day ; therefore let us not sleep, as do oth-
ers." I marvel not when, as I walk through the
streets after nightfall, I see every shop closed, and
every windoAV-blind drawn down ; and I see the light
in the upper room, significant of retirement to rest.
I wonder not that a half an hour later my footfall
startles me, and I find none in the streets. Should I
ascend the staircase, and look into the sleepers' placid
countenances, I should not wonder; for it is night,
the proper time for sleep. But if, some morning, at
eleven or twelve o'clock, I should walk down the
streets and find myself alone, and notice every shop
closed, and every house straitly shut up, and hearken
to no noise, I should say, " 'T is strange, 't is passing
strange, 'tis wonderful." What are these people at?
*T is day-time, and yet they are all asleep. I should
be inclined to seize the first rapper I could find and
give a double knock, and rush to the next door and
ring the bell, and so all the way down the street; or
go to the police station, and wake up what men I found

J548 THE MODEL PREACHER.

there, and bid them make a noise in the street; or go
for the fire-engine, and bid the firemen rattle down
the road and try to wake these people up. For I
should say to myself, "There is some pestilence here;
the angel of death must have flown through these
streets, during the night, and killed all these people,
or else they would have been sure to have been
awake." Sleep in the day-time is utterly incongru-
ous. "Well, now," says the apostle Paul, "ye peo-
ple of God, it is day-time with you ; the Sun of
righteousness has risen upon you with healing in his
wings; the light of God's Spirit is in your conscience;
ye have been brought out of darkness into marvelous
light ; for you to be asleep, for a Church to slumber,
is like a city abed in the day, like a whole town
slumbering when the sun is shining. It is untimely
and unseemly."

And now, if you look to the text again, you will find
there is another argument. " Let us, who are of the
day, be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and
love." So, then, it seems, it is war-time; and therefore,
again, it is unseemly to slumber. There is a fortress,
yonder, far away in India. A troop of those abomi-
nable Sepoys have surrounded it. Bloodthirsty hell
hounds, if they once gain admission, they will rend
the mother and her children, and cut the strong man
in pieces. They are at the gates: their cannon are
loaded, their bayonets thirst for blood, and their
swords arc hungry to slay. Go through the fortress,
and the people are all asleep. There is the warder

PULPIT OUATORS. 349

on the tower, nodding on his bayonet. There is the
captain in his tent, with his pen in his hand, and his
dispatches before him, asleep at the table. There
are soldiers lying down in their tents, ready for the
war, but all slumbering. There is not a man to be
seen keeping watch ; there is not a sentry there. All
are asleep. Why, my friends, you would say, " What-
ever is the matter here? What can it be? Has some
great wizard been waving his wand, and put a spell
upon them all ? Or are they all mad ? Have their
minds fled? Sure, to be asleep in war-time is indeed
outrageous. Here! take down that trumpet; go
close up to the captain's ear, and blow a blast, and
see if it docs not awake him in a moment. Just take
away that bayonet from the soldier that is asleep on
the walls, and give him a sharp prick with it, and see
if he does not awake." But surely, surely, nobody
can have patience with people asleep, when the enemy
surround the walls and are thundering at the gates.

Now, Christians, this is your case. Your life is a
life of warfare ; the world, the flesh, and the devil —
that hellish trinity — and your poor flesh is a wretched
mudwork behind which to be intrenched. Are you
asleep? Asleep, w^hen Satan has fire-balls of lust to
hurl into the windows of your eyes — when he has ar-
rows of temptation to shoot into your heart — when he
has snares into which to trap your feet? Asleep,
when he has undermined your very existence, and
when he is about to apply the match with which to
destroy you, unless sovereign grace prevents? O,

350 THE MODEL PREACHER.

sleep not, soldier of the cross ! To sleep in war-time
is utterly inconsistent. Great Spirit of God, forbid
that we should slumber.

But now, leaving the chapter itself, I will give you
one or two other reasons that will, I trust, move
Christian people to awake out of their sleep. ''Bring
out your dead! Bring out your dead! Bring out
your dead !^' Then comes the ringing of a bell.
What is this? Here is a door marked with a great
white cross. Lord, have mercy upon us! All the
houses down that street seem to be marked with that
white death cross. What is this ? Here is the grass
growing in the streets ; here are Cornhill and Cheap-
side deserted ; no one is found treading the solitary
pavement ; there is not a sound to be heard but those
horse-hoofs like the hoofs of death's pale horse upon
the stones, the ringing of that bell that sounds the
death-knell to many, and the rumbling of the wheels
of that cart, and the dreadful cry, " Bring out your
dead! Bring out your dead ! Bring out your dead!"
Do you see that house? A physician lives there.
He is a man who has great skill, and God has lent
him wisdom. But a little while ago, while in his
study, God was pleased to guide his mind, and he dis-
covered the secret of the plague. He was plague-
smitten himself, and ready to die ; but he lifted the
blessed phial to his lips, and he drank a draught and
cured himself. Do you believe what I am about to
tell you? Can you imagine it? That man has the
prescription that will heal all these people ; he nas u

PULPIT OKATORS. 351

iij his pocket. He has the medicine which, if once
distributed in those streets, would make the sick re-
joice, and put that dead-man's bell away. And he is
asleep! He is asleep! He is asleep! 0 ye heavens!
why do ye not fall and crush the wretch ? 0 earth !
how couldst thou bear this demon upon thy bosom?
Why not swallow him up quick ? He has the medi-
cine ; he is too lazy to go and tell forth the remedy.
He has the cure, and is too idle to go out and admin-
ister it to the sick and dying ! No, my friends, such
an inhuman wretch could not exist! But I can see
him here to-day. There are you ! You know the
world is sick with the plague of sin, and you yourself
have been cured by the remedy which has been pro-
vided. You are asleep, inactive, loitering. You do
not go forth to

" Tell to others round,
What a dear Savior you have found."

There is the precious Gospel ; you do not go and put
it to the lips of a sinner. There is the all-precious
blood of Christ; you never go to tell the dying what
they must do to be saved. The world is perishing
with worse than plague ; and you are idle ! And you
are a minister of the Gospel ; and you have taken
that holy office upon yourself; and you are content
to preach twice on a Sunday, and once on a week-day,
and there is no remonstrance within you. You never
desire to attract the multitudes to hear you preach ;
you had rather keep your empty benches, and study
propriety, than you would once, at the risk of appear-

352 THE MODEL PREACHER.

ing overzealous, draw the multitude and preach the
word to them. You are a writer ; you have great
power in writing; you devote your talents alone to
light literature, or to the production of other things
which may furnish amusement, but which can not
benefit the soul. You know the truth, but you do not
tell it out. Yonder mother is a converted woman;
you have children, and you forget to instruct them in
the way to heaven. You, yonder, are a young man,
having nothing to do on the Sabbath-day, and there is
the Sunday school; you do not go to tell those chil-
dren the sovereign remedy that God has provided for
the cure of sick souls. The death-bell is ringing e'en
now ; hell is crying out, howling with hunger for the
souls of men. "Bring out the sinner! Bring out
the sinner! Bring out the sinner! Let him die and
be damned !" And there are you, professing to be a
Christian, and doing nothing which might make you
the instrument of saving souls — never putting out
your hand to be the means, in the hand of the Lord,
of plucking sinners as brands from the burning I 0,
may the blessing of God rest on you, to turn you from
such an evil way, that you may not sleep as do others,
but mny watch and be sober! The world's innninent
danger demands that we should be active and not be
slumbering.

Hark how the mast creaks ! See the sails there,
rent to ribbons. Breakers ahead ! She will be on the
rocks directly- "Where is the captain ? Where is the
boatswain ? Where arc the sailors ? Ahoy there I

PULPIT ORATORS. 85-:)

VYhere are you ? Here 's a storm come on. Yf her c
are you ? You are down in the cabin. And there is
the captain in a soft, sweet slumber. There is the
man at the wheel, as sound asleep as ever he can
be ; and there are all the sailors in their hammocks.
What ! and the breakers ahead ? Wbat ! the lives of
two hundred passengers in danger, and here are these
brutes asleep? Kick them out. What is the good
of letting such men as these be sailors, in such a time
as this especially ? Why, out with you ! If you had
gone to sleep in fine weather we might have forgiven
you. Up with you, captain ! What have you been
at? Are you mad? But hark ! the ship has struck;
she will be down in a moment. Now you will work,
will you? JSTow you will work, when it is of no use, and
when the shrieks of drovaiing women shall toll you into
hell for your most accursed negligence in not having
taken care of them. Well, that is very much like a
great many of us, in these times too.

Tnis proud ship of our commonwealth is reeling in
a storm of sin ; the very mast of this great nation is
creaking under the hurricane of vice that sweeps
across the noble vessel ; every timber is strained, and
God help the good ship, or, alas ! none can save her.
And wdio are her captain and her sailors, but minis-
ters of God, the professors of religion ? These are
they to whom God gives grace to steer the ship.
"Ye are the salt of the earth ;" ye preserve and keep
it alive, 0 children of God. Are ye asleep in the

fitorm ? Are ye slumbering now ? If there were no

30

354 THE MODEL PREACHER.

dens of vice, if there were no harlots, if there were
no houses of profanity, if there were no murders and
no crimes, 0, ye that are the salt of the earth, ye
might sleep : but to-day the sin of London crieth in
the ears of God. This behemoth city is covered with
crime, and God is ^exed with her. And are. we
asleep, doing nothing ? Then God forgive us ! But
sure of all the sins he ever doth forgive, this is the
greatest, the sin of slumbering when a world is dam-
ning— the sin of being idle when Satan is busy, devour-
ing the souls of men. ''Brethren, let us not sleep"
in such times as these ; for if we do, a curse must fall
upon us, hoi^i'ible to bear.

There is a. poor prisoner in a cell. His hair is all
matted over his eyes. A few weeks ago the judge
put on the black cap, and commanded that he should
be taken to the place from whence he came, and hung
by the neck till dead. The poor wretch has his heart
broken within him, while he thinks of the pinion, of
the 'gallows, and of the drop, and of after-death. 0,
who can tell how his heart is rent and racked, while
he thinks of leaving all, and going he knoweth not
where! There is a man there, sound asleep upon a
bed. lie has been asleep there these two days, and
under his pillow he has that prisoner's free pardon. I
would horsewhip that scoundrel, horsewhip him sound-
ly, for making that poor man have two days of extra
misery. Why, if I had had that mail's pardon, I
would have been there, if I rode on the wings of light-
ning to get at him, and T sliould have thought the

PULPIT ORATORS. 355

fastest train that ever run but slow, if I had so sweet
a message to carry, and such a poor heavy heart to
carry it to. But that man, that brute, is sound asleep,
with a free pardon under his pillow, while that poor
wretch's heart is breaking with dismay ! Ah ! do not
be too hard with him: he is here to-day. Side by
side with you this morning there is sitting a poor
penitent sinner ; God has pardoned him, and intends
that you should tell him that good news. He sat by
your side last Sunday, and he wept all the sermon
through, for he felt his guilt. If you had spoken to
•him then, who can tell ? He might have had comfort ;
but there he is now — you do not tell him the good
news. Do you leave that to me to do? Ah ! sirs,
but you can not serve God by proxy; what the minis-
ter does is naught to you ; you have your own personal
duty to do, and God has given you a precious prom-
ise. It is now on your heart. Will you not turn
round to your next neighbor, and tell him that prom-
ise? 0, there is many an aching heart that aches
because of our idleness in telling the good news of this
salvation. " Yes," says one of my members, who
always comes to this place on a Sunday, and looks
out for young men and young women wdiom he has
seen in tears the Sunday before, and who brings many
into the Church, ''yes, I could tell you a story."
He looks a young man in the face, and says, " Have n't
I seen you here a great many times?" ''Yes." "I
think you take a deep interest in the service, do you
not ?" " Yes, I do : what makes you ask me that

r;56 THE MODEL PREACHER.

question?" ''Because I looked at your face lest
Sunday, and I tliougljt there was something at work
v;ith you." *'0, sir," he says, " nobody has spohen
to mc ever since I have been here till now, and I want
to say a word to you. When I was at home vnth
my mother, I used to think I had some idea of relig-
ion ; but I came away, and v/as bound apprentice with
an ungodly lot of youths, and have done every thing
I ought not to have done. And now, sir, I begin to
weep, I begin to repent. I wish to God that I knew
how I might be saved ! I liear the vrord preached,
sir, but I want something spoken personally to me by
somebody." And he turns round; he takes him by
the hand, and says, " My dear young brother, I am so
glad I spoke to you; it makes my poor old heart
rejoice to think that the Lord is doing something here
still. Now, do not be cast down; for you know,
* This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all accepta-
tion, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save
sinners.' " The young man puts his handkerchief to
his eyes, and after a minute, lie says, " I wish you
would let me call and see you, sir." " 0, you may,"
he says. lie talks with him, he leads him onvrard,
and at last by God's grace the happy youth comes
forward and declares what God has done for his soul,
and owes his salvation as much to the humble instru-
mentality of the man that helped him as he could do
to the preaching of tjic minister.

Beloved brethren, the Bridegroom cometh ! Awake 1
Awake! The earth must soon be dissolved, and the

PULPIT OPvATOKS. 857

^ avens must molt I Av/ake ! Awake ! 0 Holj Spirit,
arouse us all, and keep us av/ake.

III. And now I have no time for the last point, and,
therefore, I shall not detain jou. Suffice me to say
in Avarning, there is AX evil iiEPtE lamented. There
are some that are asleep, and the apostle mourns it.

Mj fellow-sinner, thou that art this day unconverted,
let me say six or seven sentences to thee, and thou
shalt depart. Unconverted man ! unconverted woman !
you are asleep to-day, as they that sleep on the top of
the mast in time of storm ; you are asleep, as he that
sleeps when the water floods are out, and when his
house is undermined and being carried down the
stream far out to sea; you are asleep, as he who in
the upper chamber, when his house is burning and his
own locks are sin2;einsr in the fire, knows not the de-
vastation around him ; you are asleep — asleep as he
that lies upon the edge of a precipice, with death and
destruction beneath him. One single start in his
sleep would send him over, but he knows it not. Thou
art asleep this day; and the place where thou sleepest
has so frail a support that when once it breaks thou
shalt fall into hell: and if thou v/akest not till then,
what a waking it will be ! '' In hell he lifted up his
eyes, being in torment ;" and he cried for a drop of
water, but it was denied him. ^^ He that believeth in
the Lord Jesus Christ and is baptized, shall be saved;
he that believeth not, shall be damned." This is the
Gospel. Believe ye in Jesus, and ye shall ''rejoice
with joy unspeakable and full of glory."

858 THE MODEL PREACHER

C AUGH E Y.

Take as a specimen of Caugliey's preaciang hia
sermon on

THE OMNIPOTENCE OF FAITH.

" Therefore I say ixnto you, What things soever yo desire when ye
pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them."
Mark xi, 24.

The congregation will recollect that these words
were spoken by the Savior as he was passing from
the Mount of Olives to Jerusalem. By the wayside
he saw a fig-tree which looked beautiful, and doubtless
gave signs of fruit upon it; and being hungry, he
looked up among the leaves for fruit, but there was
none, and he said, "No man eat fruit of thee hence-
forth forever." He killed the tree, but taught a great
doctrine. The next morning, as Christ and his dis-
ciples v/ere passing by, Peter remembered that the
tree had been cursed: he looked at it, and said,
"Master, it is withered" — withered from top to bot-
tom— dried up from the roots — cursed. Jesus said
unto them, "Have faith in God; for verily I say unto
you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be
thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea, and shall
not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those
things which he saith shall come to pass, he shall
have whatsoever he saith. Therefore I say unto
3^ou, What things soever ye desire when ye pray,
believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have

PULPIT OP.ATORS. 359

them." I should like to say to this audience, that
whenever our Savior said, "Verilj, verily,'' he was
about to deliver some very important truth. He was
■now teaching the omnipotence of faith.

In Manchester, within the last few days, many
things have been said about sudden conversion. An
old lady said to mo, "Why, Mr. C, I hear that you
are converting them by scores and by hundreds. I
do n't understand this sudden conversion." I answer,
there is no such a thing in the Scriptures as gradual
conversion or gradual purity; there must be a last
moment when sin exists, and a first moment when it
does not ; and this must take place in time, for one
moment after death would be too late, unless w^e be-
lieve in purgator3^ Pardon and purity are doctrines
clearly taught in the Bible, and, in the very nature of
things, they must be sudden in their attainment. Our
text is the great polar-star of our salvation. You
Avill remember it is recorded in the Life of Napoleon,
when he was contemplating the Russian campaign,
his uncle, Cardinal Fesch, endeavored to dissuade him
from it. Napoleon's words are these: "Am I to
blame because the great degree of power I have
already attained forces me to assume the dictatorship
of the world ? My destiny is not yet accomplished ;
my present situation is but a sketch of the picture
which I must finish. There must be one universal
European code — one court of appeal. The same
money, the same weights and measures, the same
laws, rnust have currency throughout Europe. I must

360 THE MODEL PREACHER.

make one nation out of all the European states, and
Paris must be the capital of the world.'"' His uncle
remonstrated with him, and conjured him not to tempt
Providence — not to defy heaven and earth, the v^^rath
of man, and the fury of the elements: at the same
time he also expressed his fear that he would sink un-
der the difficulties. The only answer vrhich Napoleon
gave was in keeping with his character. He led the
Cardinal to the window, and opening the casement, he
pointed upward, and asked him, ^'If he saw yonder
star ?" "No, sire," answered the astonished Cardinal.
" But I see it," answered Napoleon. We point you to
our text as the great polar-star of faith — the great
charter for believing, containing a principle on which
slum.bers omnipotence — as the medium that links man
to the throne of the great Eternal, connecting man
with God.

Archimedes, when he discovered the power of the
lever, said, " If you can find me a fulcrum to rest my
lever upon, I can move the world." " What is a ful-
crum?" says one. I answer, a point or center on
which a lever turns. " And what is a lever?" I an-
swer, a bar, or mechanical power by which great
weights are moved.

Our text is the fulcrum — faith is the lever; and with
it we can move two worlds at once, and hell into the
bargain. " What things soever ye desire when ye pray,
believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them."

Before we discuss this subject, we want to ask a
few questions. There are, perhaps, persons here

PULPIT ORATORS. 361

belonging to other denominations. You may be
Calvinists, and as good, I hope, as any of us. You
may, however, differ from me on doctrinal points; and,
to do you good, I should have to argue with you half
an hour, and then perhaps leave you as I found you.
Well, I leave all controversy with the pastors; but I
want to beg just two things of you : First, go with me
as far as you can ; and the second is, get all the good
you can.

There are also some backsliders here. Are you
willing to come back? "Yes," says one, "I am, I
am; for I have had a miserable life of it."

And you who are seeking pardon, I want to ask
you a question. "Pardon!" says one; "why, my
heart is as hard as a flint." Well, if God shall convert
your soul before I leave this place, will you meet me
in the school-room at the close of this service to let me
know it ? Will you do it ? Well, I believe you will.

And you who are seeking the witness of the Spirit
and purity of heart, if God shall purify your heart
before I leave this place, will you meet me at the close
of this service and let me know it? You will all do
it, will you ? Well, I will trust to your honor. Says
one, " Then you are expecting souls to be saved be-
fore you leave the pulpit, are you ?" I am, I am ex-
pecting it; and heaven expects it, and hell expects it.
I believe we shall have souls saved ere I leave this
place. Lord, help! Holy Ghost, help! "What
things soever ye desire when ye pray, believe that ye

receive them, and ye shall have them."
31

862 THE MODEL PREACH Ell!

I. Is THERE ANY DIFEEREXCE BETWEEN FAITH AND
BELIEVING ?

I answer, 3^cs; just as much as between water at
rest and water in motion — wind at rest and wind in
motion. Believing is the application of faith to some
truth. Believing is faith in motion. There may be
ever so much faith, and no believing. It is not
enough that there be a general conviction that God is
true; that the Bible is a revelation from him; that
the invisible things of which the Bible speaks are re-
alities : there may be all this, and yet no salvation.
God has given us his testimony that Jesus Christ died
a sacrifice for the sins of every man, and, conse-
quently, for me. Faith, then, is putting confidence
in God's testimony; it is to be understood in a plain,
common-sense way. The Bible was written for the
people — the common people — the mass; and if God
has not meant the word faith to be understood in a
common-sense way, he would have prefaced the Bible
with a dictionary, and have explained the nature of
believing; but, as there is no such an explanation
given, we infer that we are to understand it just as it
is understood in ordinary language among men. As
to the mystery of faith, there is no mystery about it.
Just put confidence in God as you would in a friend.
Unbelief is the great sin of the age — the sin that
shuts up heaven — the plague-spot of eternal death on
the soul — the sinner's mittimus to hell, written in hii
heart — the sin that damns the sotd. On the other
liand, faith opens the hand of God, secures salvation,

PULPIT ORATORS. 863

conquers hell, and places the soul on the throne of
God. Believing, then, is faith in motion — faith lay-
ing hold on the testimony of God.

II. Is FAITH THE GIFT OF GoD ?

There is a great deal of controversy in the world on
this question — in America, in England, and especially
in Scotland. Is faith the gift of God, or is it not ?
I answer, every thing that is good in man is from
God ; and every thing that is bad in him is from the
devil and himself. I am exceedingly jealous of every
thing that seems to rob God of a particle of the glory
of a sinner's salvation. But in what sense is faith the
gift of God ? I answer, believing is the gift of the
God of grace, just in the same sense as breathing,
walking, eating, hearing, seeing, are the gifts of the
God of nature. It is plain to every man's common-
sense, that while the power to perform these acts is
from God, the acts themselves are purely his own.
As God does not breathe, walk, eat,' hear, see for us,
neither does he believe for us. God has given man a
capacity to believe; namely, a mind to weigh evi-
dence, and to receive truth when supported by evi-
dence. He has given the object of faith; namely,
the Lord Jesus Christ, which is like a great sun risen
upon our world.

We infer then, as God has given the capacity, the
evidence, the object, and as he has laid the responsi-
bility on man, as the sentence of the last judgment
tarns on this point, as salvation or damnation is sus-
f»ended on believing or non-believing, the act of faith

364 THE MODEL PREACHER.

must be possible — must be a man's own. 0, hoTV
important it is that you understand what is God's
part, and Avhat is your part in this matter ! — that you
should see the folly of indulging in unbelief, under
the delusion that God has not given you faith ! How
many on this vital point have been deceived! How
many of the slain has the grave closed over ! How
many, as they rushed into eternity, and as the gleams
of immortal light flashed upon them, and dispelled
the delusions that ruined them, uttered a deatJi-howl,
went dotvn damned^ and more than blood was shed!
What could God have done to enable you to believe,
that he has not done ? If all things be ready, then,
why tarry? Why wait? Believe and be saved.
" What things soever ye desire when ye pray, believe
that ye receive them, and ye shall have them."

III. How CAN YOU ACCOUNT FOR IT, THAT THERE IS
IN SOME A GREATER APTNESS TO BELIEVE THAN IN
OTHERS ?

Some account for it on the ground of constitutional
differences. I don't believe a w^ord of it; I don't
believe that one man is born with greater constitu-
tional tendency to believe than another. Others
account for it on the ground of divine partiality. I
answer, there is no partiality in God, except such as
you make yourselves. God is partial to them thaf
believe his word; hence it is written, "He that be-
licveth shall be saved." We may, in some measure,
account for this inaptncss to believe, on the ground
of the pride of intellect. "0!" says one, "I am not'

PULPIT ORATOES. 365

like one of the simple herd of mankind, ^vho can re-
ceive for truth every silly notion announced to them.
1 must have evidence — good, sound argument; I must
be convinced before I can believe." ^' Well," say you,
"do you despise me for that?" No; I honor a think-
ing man; but you pride yourself above the common
mass, and you Avill not come down to receive God's
plain, simple testimony. God says, "What things
soever ye desire when ye pray, believe that ye receive
them, and ye shall have them," and you refuse to
believe this testimony. "Well," says another, "some
have a weak faith, and some a strong faith; how do
you account for that?" I answer, the one has an
exercised faith, and the other has a non-exercised
faith, and that is the reason why there is a greater
aptness to believe in one than in another. Look yon-
der at that blacksmith, wielding the heavy sledge-
hamm.er from hour to hour, and that without any
injury or inconvenience. Were you to labor with
that hammer for one half an hour, you would be so
stiif the next morning that you would scarcely be
able to lift your hand to your head ; but the black-
smith is up and at it, the next morning, as lively as
ever; exercise has made the difference. Take another
illustration. Suppose a mother to bandage her son
till he is thirteen years old, beginning at his feet,
bandaging him up clear to his chin, like an Egyptian
mummy. At the age of thirteen she removes the
bandage, and says, "Now, my son, run forth and play
with other children." Why, it can not move; its

366 THE MODEL PREACHER,

joints are stiff; it is a complete cripple. Ah, some
of you have been in bandages all your life ; you are
spiritual cripples. Glory be to GdcI, if you will but
believe, he will set your joints all right, and put
strength in your "limbs. " What things soever ye
desire when ye pray, believe that ye receive them,
and ye shall have them." What does another mother
do with her w^eakly child ? Why, she sets him on his
feet, and holds out one finger to him, and says,
"Now, my dear, try." Down he tumbles. She sets
liim up again — " Come, come, my son, try, try again."
(Ah, you see he is very weakly yet!) He tries again,
and down he goes. " Come, come, my son; try once
more. There, now — that 's better." Soon he reaches
from chair to chair, and if you do n't take care of
him, he is out of doors among the wheels. That
mother knows the philosophy of getting strength.
He gets strength. "Whatsoever things ye desire
when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye
shall have them."

IV. Are the objects of faith limited ?

Can I believe for what I like and have it? I
answer, no; on temporal matters you must put in an
if. I was coming, the other day, from Ireland, in a
steamer ; I generally suffer dreadfully from seasick-
ness. I therefore asked the Lord to let us have a
calm sea; yet I did not know but that many ships
might be lying outside the port loaded with corn, and
would want a wind to blow them up to give food to
the starving people, and I would not have the peoplo

PULPIT ORATORS. 367

perish to save me from sickness ; therefore I had to
put in an if. Still, I believe we may get the full
assurance of faith, even for temporal matters. That
mother ma}^, for the safety of her son; that wife, for
the deliverance of her husband. There 's an in-
stance in the Life of Luther of the assurance of faith
in prayer. Miconius was ill, with a swelling in his
throat, given up by the medical men, and appeared to
be on the borders of death. Luther prayed for him,
and said, "LorJ, Miconius is necessary to thy
Churchy thy work can not go on without him." He
felt he had hold of God, and said, " Miconius shall
not die, but live." Intimation of the confidence of
Luther for Miconius was sent to the latter, and he
w^as so excited, that the swelling burst and his life
was spared.

In a German work there is a circumstance re-
corded of a mother who was lying on what seemed to
be the bed of death. Her little daughter, about five
years of age, was heard to pray, ^^0, dear Lord Jesus,
make my mother better!" The little child was heard
to repeat to herself, "Yes, I will make your mother
better!" Some would call this the child's supersti-
tion, but I would call it her faith. The mother re-
covered. There was once a man who had cancer in
his eyes, and his eyes were being eaten out with the
disease. This poor man cried to the Lord, and said,
" 0 Lord, w^ilt thou let the cancer eat out mine eyes?
Thou wilt not. Lord ; thou wilt put greater honor on
thy servant than that." And to the astonishment of

868 THE MODEL PREACHER.

medical men, his eyes were spared. And. if we walk
closely with God, we shall often get the full assurance
of faith even for temporal blessings. But in refer-
ence to justification and holiness we may pray with
unlimited faith. '' Be it unto thee according to thy
faith,'' is the law of the kingdom. The kingdom of
his grace is thrown open to you, and a voice from the
throne says, ''Be it unto thee even as thou wilt."
The veracity of God, the blood of Christ, yea, every
attribute of the Deity, every person in the Godhead,
are pledged to the fulfillment of this promise. If you
abandon sin, give up yourselves to him, trust in the
blood of his Son, he will save you ; nay, he doth save
you. There must be no ifs here, no peradventures.
Let there be an uncompromising, unreserved trust in
the blood of Christ; and if the Bible be a revelation
from heaven, if there be a covenant of mercy, if there
be virtue in the blood of Christ, power in the Holy
Ghost, truth in God, you will be saved. " What
things soever ye desire when ye pray, believe that ye
receive them, and ye shall have them."

Y. How GAIT WE RECONCILE THE PHRASEOLOGY OF
THE TEXT, AND BELIEVE THAT WE HAVE IN THE
PRESENT WHAT IS SPOKEN OP IN THE FUTURE TENSE ?

I was greatly perplexed on this point, till one day
I happened to be in company with tAVO ministers; one
was a Methodist, and the other a Baptist brother.
The Methodist said to his Baptist brother, " I have
been thinking much about that text, ' What things so-
ever ye desire when ye pray, believe that yc receive

PULPIT ORATORS. 369

tlicm, and ye shall have them.' I think there must
be some mistake about the translation. Have you a
Greek Testament?" A good old Greek Testament
was reached down ; the Greek lexicon and grammar
were also produced, to examine the root and tense of
the verb. The words TtL^tfvctf — believe — and :^a,«;3ai/-
ft( — receive — were carefulh^ examined. The Baptist
fixed his finger on the words, anil said, ''It must be
in the first future." "No," said the Methodist, "see,
TtirstsvdiTf!, the first future, has a tlifierent termination."
"Then," said he, " it must be in the first Aorist."
" No, brother ; see, friLctsvas^ the first Aorist, has a
prefix to it ; therefore it can not be that." The Bap-
tist said, " I see I must give it up. The words are
rightly translated." He remembered it was written — •
Isa. Ixv, 24 — "And it shall come to pass, that before
they call, I will answer ; and while they are yet speak-
ing, I will hear." And had not Charles Wesley an
eye to that when he penned that hymn,

" I take the blessing from above.
And wonder at tby boundless love ?"

The Greek scholar can examine for himself; and
though he may have all the knowledge of an arcli-
angel, I 'defy him to say that the passage is wrongly
translated. It is there, " What things soever ye de-
sire when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and
ye shall have them." Then you are not to believe
that it was done some time ago — not that He will do it
a,t some future period, but believe that he doth it now.

870 THE MODEL PREACHER.

VI. What preparation must a man have in or-
der TO believe ?

^'Yvliat do you mean," says one, ^'by a prepara-
tion?" I answer: I mean, how many tears a man
must shed — how deep must be his conviction — how
soft must be his heart — w^hat amount of godly sorrow
must he feel — how long must he remain in a state of
repentance? I have read this blessed Bible through
on my knees, every word of it, and I find no stand-
ard in it ; God has set up none. There is not a w^ord
said about how many tears a man must shed, how
soft or hard the heart must be ; nothing of the kind;
and as God has set up no standard, I '11 be the last
man in the world to make one. I believe there are
far too many creeds and standards floating about the
Christian Church already. No, there is no spiritual
barometer or thermometer ; and I 'm glad of it, for it
would greatly perplex a minister, and it w^ould
also greatly distress penitent souls. Some persons
could not shed a tear, if you gave them the world —
still the heart may bleed, while the eyes arc dry.
Glory be to God, he has put the powder in helieving —
purifying their hearts by faith. It is no where said
purifying them by tears, by feelings, by soft hearts
or hard ones, by deep convictions or shallow ones.
He has, however, said, " What things soever ye de-
sire Avhen ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and
ye shall have them." 0 ! it is by faith, by confi-
dence in God. And this method will meet all cases —
the case of the farmer, of the doctor, of the lawyer.

r TT L P I T ORATORS. 371

of the president of the college, of the servant,
of the master, of the subject, of the sovereign, of
the little child, of the venerable sage, of the man of
A. B. C, of the philosopher — yes, of all grades
of mind, from the first da^vn of reason up to in-
tellectual noon. "You do not mean to say," says
one, " that no preparation is necessary V I answer
no, I do not ; for when sin is indulged, God will

never save. Sin must be given up.

^ ^ :K ;;< ;i< >:c ;.< ^ ^

The Methodists have -clear. Scriptural views of
these doctrines ; but I tell you, you are holding on to
things that w^ill damn you : God would as soon sanc-
tify the devil as to sanctify you. I know what I say ;
I speak advisedly. "Lift up holy hands, without
wrath and doubting." Lift them up to show^ that
there is no iniquity in them. You may leave the chapel
as soon as you like ; or, if you have patience to
tarry, you may; but I tell you, it is of no use; God
will never purify your hearts till you give up the sins
to which you are clinging. See that poor fellow wan-
derino; on throuojh the wilderness : the night is dark,
he stumbles, and falls into some deep, dark pit : he
sets up a cry for help : his cry breaks on the stillness
of the night, and is heard echoing on through the
wilderness. See those three men passing on, now, as
the moon just glimmers through the cloud. See ! see!
they are standing listening, they have heard that cry for
help : now they are making Avay to that spot whence
the cry proceeds : one of them is standing on the

872 THE MODEL PREACHER.

edge of that deep pit: lie listens, and the cry is heard
again.

^' Who is down there ?"

^' 0, sir, I have fallen into this dreadful place ; my
feet are stuck in the mire."

" Be of good courage, my friend ; there are two
strong fellows here besides myself; v.'e '11 soon have
you up."

Now the rope is being let down. " There, take
hold of that rope, man, take fast hold : now, give a
strong pull." Up comes the rope; the man in the
pit has let it slip. " Why, what 's the matter down
there ? Come, come, now take a firmer hold. Now,
comrades, give another pull."

Up comes the rope again. ^' Why, man, you must
surely have something in your hands."

" I have a few things, sir, that I should like to
bring up with me, down here."

" Come, cast them away, and take hold of the ropcj
and not trifle in this way !"

Now he casts the things out of one of his hands,
and they try again : but up comes the rope again.
"I tell you, man, if you don't cast awny those things,
and take hold, we will leave you to your fate."
Now he casts them all away, and takes firm hold, and
up he comes !

J.'i j!^ ::< ^K Mi >!i :;> i!^ M;

PULPIT ORATORS.

LETTER XYI.

•PULPIT ORATORS — CONTINUED.

My Dear Brother, — The foregoing specimens
liave been presented, not as models, but simply to
show that the men who have wielded the greatest pul-
pit power were those who conformed most nearly to
the model of the Master.

Some excel in clearness and earnestness; others add
to these a very effective degree of naturalness, liter-
alness, and appropriateness. Many, no doubt, pos-
sessed a much higher degree of naturalness of man-
ner than their published sermons indicate.

Chrysostom, Latimer, Massillon, Bunyan, Christ-
mas Evans, and Whitefield combined with a high de-
gree of clearness and earnestness, an equal degree of
naturalness, literalness, and appropriateness. Chil-
lingworth excelled in the first, second, and fifth. I
think Chalmers was of the same type of Chilling-
worth. He had great clearness and earnestness, and
wonderful poAver of application. The following no-
tice of him I clip from the Western Christian Advo-
cate :

The editor of the British Standard recently pub-
lished a series of letters in favor of preaching extem-
poraneousl}^ which he considered the only simple,
natural, and truly-efi'ective style of pulpit oratory.

374 THE MODEL PREACUER.

He thus disposes of the greatest apparent exception
to his rule, Chalmers, the prince of Scottish preach-
ers:

''I have heard all the greatest pulpit readers of
my time, and not one of them has formed an excep-
tion to the rule. Even Chalmers, their chief and
head, whose mighty ministrations I have very fre-
quently attended, matchless reader though he was,
came most fully within the rule. That distinguished
man, indeed, made no attempt to look at his audience
such as is made by a multitude of readers; the finger
of either hand was never for a moment removed from
the MS.; there was nothing beyond a passing flash of
the eye as he occasionally darted his head upward.
Once fairly in motion, he rushed along like a locomo-
tive of the highest power at full speed, heedless of
every thing before, behind, or around him, with a sort
of blind, though inspired fury. He could, I verily
believe, have performed the magnificent feat equally
well in Westminster Abbey alone, and with the doors
shut ! The fires which, on these occasions, raged so
strongly witliin him, were wholly independent of ex-
ternal circumstances. As a consequence of this,
power, all-subduing power, was the prime character-
istic of the achievement. He was generally altogether
wanting in pathos, that ethereal something which, pro-
ceeding from a melted henrt, has the power of melt-
ing all around it. The effect of his sublime effusion
was a feeling of intense excitement, ofttimes of over-
whelming admiration, from which the auditor was

PULPIT ORATORS. 375

often strongly tempted to clap his liands and shout ap-
plause ; but he was rarely visited with compunction
or moved to tears. Even in his death-scenes he
awakened in the assembly scarcely any emotions
other than those of awe or horror ; the most sympa-
thetic even of the gentler sex seldom wept. The
most striking exception I ever remember was on the
occasion of his farewell sermon on leaving Glasgow
for St. Andrews. The discourse on that occasion was
a sublime affair, not in its matter, for he was obvi-
ously by no means well prepared, but in its delivery ;
and the prayer was even more touching than the ser-
mon. The discourse appears in his Collected Works,
where it occupies but a very secondary place.

'^How great soever, in a certain way, Chalmers
might be with MS., he would have been incomparably
greater with free speech ; he was so in his partial at-
tempts at extemporizing. Nothing I ever listened to
might be likened to his off-hand flights, whether in
the pulpit or the class-room, the social meeting or
the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland.
The style was then much more natural and idiomatic,
much less figurative, and the matter much more sim-
ple, condensed, and business-like, and the intonation
in keeping with it. It was nature perfected. On
these occasions he was scarcely at all Ciceronian, oft-
times quite Demosthenic.

" Again, in the case of Chalmers, there was a most
material circumstance Vv-hich greatly abated the of-
fensiveness of the MS. to the public, as well as les-

876 THE MODEL PREACHER.

sened its inconvenience to himself. His discourses
were written in short-hand — which he read with a fa-
cility almost miraculous — on a sheet of foolscap fold-
ed into eight pages, so that there were only four
leaves to turn during the entire exercise — a process
barely perceptible. One of these short-hand manu-
scripts— a much-prized treasure — is now before me,
consisting of only eight pages, although it pccupied
forty minutes in the delivery.

"The power of Chalmers with MS., however match-
less in its own way, was, I repeat, impotent compared
with the might of his extempore bursts. The diifer-
ence was early perceived by discerning men. ,His
Memoirs contains a singularly-interesting passage in
relation to this subject. The celebrated Andrew Ful-
ler, during one of his Scottish journeys on behalf of
the Baptist mission, before Chalmers had become fa-
mous, having spent some time with him at Kilmany,
labored hard to wean him from the habit of reading
Dr. Ilanna, his son-in-lavr, says:

"'Under the very strong conviction that his use of
the manuscript in the pulpit impaired the power of
his Sabbath addresses, Mr. Fuller strenuously urged
upon his friend the practice of extempore preaching,
or preaching from notes. "If that man," said he to
his companion, Mr. Anderson, after they had taken
leave of Kilmnny manse — "if that man would but
throw away his papers in the pulpit, lie might be king
of Scotland.'""

You observe, my brother, that when Chalmera

PULPIT ORATOES. 377

allowed his naturalness to break the fetters which bound
him to his MS., override the trammels of a stiff, unnat-
ural pulpit style, his bursts of eloquence "were abso-
lutely overwhelming. Had he adopted and practiced
the natural mode of preaching, he would have eclipsed
Demosthenes. Mr. Fuller said " he might have been
king of Scotland," or what is immeasurably supe-
rior— king of pulpit orators.

I have not given a specimen of Wesley's preaching,
for his sermons have been so extensively read that I
do not consider it necessary. He was a methodical
serraonizer, but his system was evidently employed as
a means of clearness and efficiency, and not simply
for the sake of system. I verily believe that Wesley
and his noble band of street-preachers, taking them
together as a body of living ministers, conformed, in
every particular, to the Savior's model more perfectly
than any other body of men since the days of the
apostles. Their wonderful success is patent to all.

The early pioneers of Methodism in America con-
^.•ormed to this model in a high degree. Most of
them possessed clearness and earnestness, as do most
of their successors to the present time.

Many of our fathers, to be sure, had but a limited
literary education, but they had a clear religious ex-
perience, and clear views of the essential doctrines
and appliances of the Gospel. They knew but little
about the dead languages, but were familiar with the
living language of Canaan. They had but few literary

quarterlies, monthlies, and weeklies, but they had the

32

S78 THE MODEL PREACHER.

Bible, Hymn-Book, ixnd Fletcher's Checks. They
•were well posted in Bible truth — chapter and verse —
and in our theological standards. Those who accuse
many of them of " murdering the king's English,"
have, nevertheless, been obliged to admit that the
king's English escaped with much less damage than
his crimes and his devil. True, some of the fathers
carried their " Jerusalem blade " in a rustic scabbard,
but they kept it bright and sharp, and frequently
mowed down the ranks of the enemy with it like men
slain in battle. From the best information I have
been able to gather, my opinion is, that though the
mass of preachers of the present day liave more
education and refinement than our fathers in the Gos-
pel, we do not surpass them in clearness and earnest-
ness, and do not equal them in naturalness and liter-
alness. I think this is true as a rule, yet admittii:ig
many exceptions on both sides of the question.

I do not say that the ministers of modern days do
not equal the fathers in piety and Gospel fidelity;
and I believe that, while they are generally exempt
from the long, dangerous journeys and privations to
which the fathers were subject, their duties are so
multiform, extending to so many interests — such as
Sunday school, tract, missionary, and other institu-
tion:-^ iind charities, which scarce had an existence
among us seventy years ago — that the mental wear
and tear, and perplexing toils of modern ministers
exceed those of the fathers; and yet in trying to adapt
ourselves to the refinements of modern taste, and

PULPIT ORATORS. 379

have every thing done witli critical exactness, though
the mass of the people have not demanded it of us,
we have laced on to ourselves a strait-jacket of formal
sermonizing and stiff, unnatural modes of delivery,
which seriously trammel and embarrass our efforts. I
think the comparatively new thing of sermon-reading
in Methodist pulpits, though generally unpopular with
our people, is increasing, while a great many of the
regular sermon-reading; ministers of other denomina-
tions are throwing their manuscripts aside, and betak-
ing themselves to extemporaneous preaching.

The limits of this little work will only permit a
brief notice of but a few of the vast multitude of
American preachers of the past and present, who
have conformed and do conform in a very efficient de-
gree to the model of Jesus.

Jonathan Edwards excelled in clearness, earnest-
ness, and a peculiar pungency of application to the
conscience of the sinner.

Jesse Lee, with wonderful clearness and earnest-
ness, excelled in naturalness and literalness — full of
incident, sharp wit, and pungent appeal power.

Dr. Fisk, though a man of a different type, was a
fine example of the same kind of preaching.

Cookman, combining a noble degree of all the
essential elements of the model, excelled in literal-
ness of illustration.

Dr. Olin, I think, excelled in clearness, earnest-
ness, and a majestic power of application. From
what I have seen and learned from others, I believe

380 THE MODEL PREACHER.

tliat his minititrj was characterized by a great degree
of naturalness also.

Bishop M'Kendree, with great clearness, earnest-
ness, and appropriateness, also excelled in natu-
ralness.

Wm. B. Christie, whose praise is in all the Churches
of the west, excelled in the first two and fifth charac-
teristics of the model. The same may be said of Bus
sel Bigelow.

John Strange, whose name will live forever in the
history of western Methodism, possessed in an un-
usual degree all the characteristics of the model, ex-
celling most men in naturalness and literalness. He
was of the "Boanerges" type. His ministrations
were full of striking, telling episodes and overwhelm-
ing bursts of surprise power. Brother S., an old pre-
siding elder in Indiana, said to me a few weeks since,
" "When I was an unconverted young man, I went, in
company with a lot of wicked young men, to a camp
meeting. We entered within the circle of the tents
while John Strange was preaching, and as we passed
down the aisle John paused, and straightening up his
tall form to its utmost hight, looking right at us, he
cried, ' Here they come ! Lord God, shoot them !
Load and fire again !' Every hunter present under-
stood that. I felt," said brother S., "something like
a sharp pain strike right through my body, and for a
moment thought I was shot, and every one of us
dropped down almost as suddenly as if we had been
shot." It was very common under the preaching of

PULPIT ORATORS. 381

Strange for men to fall prostrate like men shot down
with a Minnie rifle.

John Collins possessed an equal degree of natural-
ness and literalness with Strange, but of a milder
type — rather more " a son of consolation." Rev. J.
B. Finley bears the following testimony of him :
'* No preacher had the power of rousing the masses,
and holding them by his eloquence and power, to so
great an extent as the meek and sainted Collins.
Often have we heard him relate the story of the lost
child, describing with inimitable tenderness the feel-
ings of the mother, whom he tried to comfort, but
who, like Rachel, 'would not be comforted, because
her child was not,' and then, when the child was
found, with the utmost pathos would relate the joyous
emotions of the mother. No tragedian ever succeeded
better in transferring the feelings of a character to
his audience in his impersonations than did the inim-
itable Collins. So far was he from falling under the
charge made by a tragedian to a minister of the
Gospel, of representing fact as if it were fiction, that
he became the living embodiment of his theme, and,
with a soul on fire, he poured out the living truth till
every heart was moved. Often have we seen thou-
sands borne down by his impassioned eloquence, like
the trees of the forest in a storm. And it was irre-
sistible. Steel your heart as you might; summon all
your philosophy and stoicism; and nerve up your
Boul to an iron insensibility and endurance, surround-
ing it with a rampart of the strongest prejudices, the

S82 THE MODEL PEEACHEll.

liglitnlng of Ills eloquence *accompamcd by the deep-
toned, awfully-sublime thunder of his words, which
came burning from his soul, would melt down your
hardness, and break aw^ay every fortification in which
you were intrenched, while tears from the deep,
unsealed fountains of your soul would come unbidden
like rain. The only way to escape his power was to
flee from his presence and hearing." (Sketches of
Western Methodism.)

Valentine Cook combined in a good degree all the
elements of the model. A glance at his literalness
may be seen in the loilowing extract from Bishop
Morris's Miscellany:

"Brother Cook, as a preacher, was altogether above
the medium grade. His pulpit performances were
marked for appropriateness, variety, fluency, and
extraordinary force." "AYhilc brother Cook was re-
markable for solemnity, both of appearance and
deportment, there was in his natural composition a
spice of eccentricity, sufficient to attract attention,
but not to destroy his ministerial influence. On one
occasion he commenced his public discourse — in a
country place — thus: ^x\s I was riding along the
road to-day, I saw a man walk out into his field with
a yoke under his arm; by the motion of the stick, he
brought up two bullocks, and placed the yoke upon
them. At another place I saw an ass standing by a
corn-crib, waiting for his daily provender.' Then he
read for his text, ' The ox knoweth his owner, and
the ass his master's crib; but Israel doth not know,

PULPIT OEATORS. 388

my people doth not consider.' He was a ready
man, liiid a fruitful mind, and, no doubt, what he
had seen on the way suggested the subject of his
discourse."

From the sermons of living men, I have, as you
have seen, selected but two specimens — Spurgeon and
Caughey. I might select from many others more
ncceptnble to the critics, perhaps, did my space per-
mit. Notwithstanding all the objections raised against
Spurgeon and Caughey, they combine a masterly
degree of the essential elements of power contained
in the Gospel model, and their extraordinary success
is known to the v/orld.

We have many living ministers of different denom-
inations, who combine, in a very efficient degree, all
the characteristics of the model.

Dr. Durbin excels in the first two and last two — and
has, withal, when animated, a glowing degree of
naturalness.

Bishop Simpson combines all in such symmetrical
proportions, that I do n't know that one is more
prominent in his ministry than another. He employs
a great many historical and scientific illustrations, but
they are made natural and simple to the life.

I might multiply cases of mighty men, in different
branches of the Church, who conform in a hio;h deo;ree
to the Master's model, but I forbear. I will simply
add, that I believe there are thousands of men v/ith
*'one talent," who conform more fully to the great
■Teacher's model, and hence, in proportion to their

884 THE MODEL PREACHER.

natural force and humble sphere, accomplish more
than many of the " star preachers."

I think the foregoing examples of pulpit eloquence
are sufficient clearly to establish the proposition they
were designed to prove and illustrate; namely, that
the most effective pulpit orators of different ages,
were those who conformed most nearly to the model
of the Master, and that their success was proportion-
ate to the degree of their conformity to it; and hence,
the presumption is clear, that their success is attribu-
table to the fact of their conformity to the model of
Jesus. «

MISCELLANEOUS SUGGESTIONS. SS5

LETTER XYII.

MISCELLANEOUS SUGGESTIONS.

My Dear Brother, — I want to tell you a little of
my experience in regard to pulpit encyclopedias.
After I had been preaching a couple of years, I was
prevailed upon, at conference in Baltimore city, to
purchase a copy of a new work, containing five hun-
dred sketches of sermons, and all the examples and
directions necessary to furnish a man thoroughly unto
every good work, and to great efficiency as a
preacher, and, moreover, it was pleaded in the argu-
ment, that all the preachers were supplying them-
selves; and so, as I did not like to be left behind
entirely, and as I had a sincere :&eal for God and
souls, I bought the book, and thought I would try and
keep up with my young brethren, as a sermonizer,
and save as many souls as possible.

I had upward of two hundred miles to travel to

my circuit, and on the way I seized every opportunity

to examine my new book. I read a number of the

sketches, and found that they divided and subdivided

the text, till it required a large proportion of the

figures of the multiplication table to number the

points, and said more about the subject than I had

ever thought of, or supposed I ever could have

thought of. And now the question in my mind was,

33

386 THE MODEL PREACHER.

" What can I make of any one of these sketches ?"
To appropriate and use it as mj own will probably
expose me to the just charge of plagiarism, and even
if my theft should not be detected, it will not meet
the honest demands of my own conscience. Again, I
want to learn to walk alone, and grow up to be a man,
and if I begin by walking on crutches, and borrowed
ones at that, I will move very ungracefully, and this
will perhaps make an awkward hobbler of me during
my whole life." I thought of selecting from different
sketches, and fitting the selections on to a new text,
and try it in that way, but soon came to this conclu-
sion, " That will be but a hypocritical ruse got up to
cover my theft, and I can't consent to such a thing."
I found, too, that as the sketch contained every thing
that I could think of, as having any connection with
the subject, I had, instead of gaining a sermon, lost
a text. And having already lost two or three favor-
ite ones, I shut up the book, and the first opportunity
I had, gave it away to a local preacher. I believe,
my brother, that, while such works contain a vast
amount of valuable theological matter, their use, upon
the whole, has a bad effect on our young preachers.
1. It presents too strong a temptation to plagia-
rism. 2. The standard of sermonizing which they
furnish is too abstract, too formal, too stiff, and yet,
claiming to be supported by the most celebrated
authorities in the Church, many young men conclude
that to gain a reputation as sermonizers, and not
mere talkers or exhorters, they must conform to this

MISCELLANEOUS SUGGESTIONS. 387

standard — that nothing is entitled to the name of a
sermon unless it be prefaced with a formal exordium,
and then contain at least three regular divisions, and
four or five subdivisions, under each head of dis-
course, then a recapitulation of the whole, and finally
an application containing nearly as many divisions as
the body of the sermon.

I opened a book of sermons a few days since, from
the pen of one of the great modern models, and the
first sermon I examined contained forty divisions and
subdivisions, all duly numbered.

Now, there is a legitimate order of truth, and if to
number the points will in any case add any thing to
brevity and clearness of statement, or to efficiency in
the application of truth, by all means number your
points; but the idea of sacrificing most of the essential
elements of pulpit power for the sake of maintaining
a false formal standard of sermonizing, is a fallacy
deep dyed with the blood of souls. See a man called
of God to preach the Gospel delivering a long, sys-
tematic, dry sermon. Some of his hearers are stum-
bling on the threshold cf perdition, and are hearing
the man of God for the last time. God sees those
souls rapidly drifting to the equatorial line between
possible salvation and eternal death. Jesus, with
yearning hoart, stands in the pulpit "with" his em-
bassador, according to his promise. The Holy Ghost
hovers over the awful scene, and knocks now at the
perishing sinner's heart, and now at the preacher's
heart, and brings to his "remembrance the things"

888 THE MODEL PREACIIEIl.

that would reach the sinner's conscience. The
preacher is almost persuaded to let his arrangement
go, or the latter half of it, at any rate, and break
forth in earnest appeal, but the thought of his reputa-
tion as a sermonizer deters him, and he proceeds with
his sermon as before arranged. What does Jesus
think of such a man ? How does the Holy Spirit feel
on such an occasion? How the ministering angels,
waiting to bear the victorious war dispatches to
heaven, hover and gaze, and wonder at such a spec-
tacle ! During the ensuing week a dear neighbor,
who attended Church that day for the last time, takes
suddenly ill and dies without hope.

In regard to reading sermons, my brother, I need
say but little. If, after mastering a subject, as you
should always do in a good degree before you attempt
to preach on it, you can not retain in your memory
what you wish to say long enough to announce it to
your people, how can you expect them to remember
it from a single hearing ?

If your sermon is sufficiently clear, earnest, natural,
literal, and appropriate foi efficiency, neither you nor
your hearers will find much difficulty in remembering
it ; but if it is made up of dry abstractions, you will
have to write it out in order to remember it yourself,
and it do n't make much difference whether the peo-
ple recollect it or not, as it does not contain enough
of practical power to do their souls much good.

It is improving to the mind to write on any useful
subject; but if you wish to write a sermon, you can do

MISCELLANEOUS SUGGESTIONS. 389

it much better after preaching it than before. You
will then get into it the flashing touches of the Holy
Spirit on the occasion of delivery, with the enlarged
ideas to which it led you.

If a man wishes to write sermons for publication
for the sake of doing good in that way, or simply to
preserve in manuscript form, of course it is all right,
and to read or have them read privately or publicly,
is appropriate enough; but reading sermons is not
preaching the Gospel, and to substitute it for preach-
ing is anti-apostolic, and, in my opinion, very offen-
sive to the Holy Spirit. But reading or repeating a
borrowed sermon without giving credit, is not only
inappropriate, but dishonest.

One of the most popular pulpit orators in Indiana
gave me a little of his experience, a few days since, in
regard to plagiarism. '' Having to preach on one oc-
casion," said he, '^ soon after I entered the ministry,
in a large town, where I supposed I would have in my
audience a great many learned critics, I was afraid
to risk one of my ov/n productions, and hence selected
and committed to memory one of the best published
sermons I could find. It was a masterpiece, and I
thought I might make it do a great deal of good, and
fixed it indelibly upon my mind. I never thought of
the impropriety of such a thing till I got into the pul-
pit, when it struck me that I had stolen another man's
sermon, and was about to pass it as my own, and
something seemed to say to me, ' Thief, thief! steal a
sermon and pass it hypocritically as your own. Hyp ♦

390 THE MODEL PREACHER.

ocrite, hypocrite, you need not think to escape de-
tection. Many of these intelligent men have read
that sermon, and will expose you all over town before
the setting of the sun. Thief, thief, hypocrite,
hypocrite.' It appeared to me that the devil was let
loose to torment me, for * thief, thief,' rang in my
ear till my hair seemed to rise on my head, and the
perspiration rolled oif me. I could not tell what to
do. The hour for preaching had come, and I had no
other sermon available. So I got up in that sad
plight, and repeated the stolen sermon as best I could.
As I came down from the pulpit, the accuser assailed
me again, saying, ' Thief, thief, you '11 be found out.
These men are looking on you with contempt now.'
I hastened out of sight, and cried to God with the
anguish of a condemned criminal, and said, ^ 0 Lord
God, pity me. For Christ's sake forgive me. By
thy grace I will never attempt such a thing again as
long as Hive. Let those men tell it; let them publish
my shame to the world. I will tell it myself, and con-
fess my guilt to God and to men, and solemnly
promise never to be guilty of the like again while
God gives me breath.' "

While, my brother, in the matter of direct appeal
to the heart, and an effort to lead souls directly to
Christ, we should carefully guard against introducing
any thing irrelevant, or calculated to divert attention
from the one essential question of a present salvation,
it is nevertheless a minister's duty to be well posted on
all the important questions of the day, and to throw

MISCELLANEOUS SUGaESTIONS. 391

his influence in favor of temperance, and other im-
portant reformatory measures of the times. It is hia
duty to exercise his elective franchise, and to express
his opinions on any subject, -when he can by so doing
promote the glory of God and the good of society.
And yet as an embassador of Christ, sent forth to
preach the Gospel, not to any particular party, but, as
far as he can, to the Avorkl, he should not allow
himself to be carried by party excitement and strife
out of the line of general acceptability and useftdness
as a minister of the Gospel.

The Savior and his apostles witnessed many enor-
mous evils, political and social: organized and legal-
ized, they stood out in the light of day in all their
undisguised, iniquitous deformity. Even their own
people were groaning under the tyranny of Rome, and
expected certainly that Messiah at his coming w^ould
break the yoke, and proclaim a grand jubilee to all
the oppressed; but the bondage of their bodies was so
small a matter, compared w^ith the bondage of their
souls, that Jesus went and preached deliverance to
the captives, breaking the dominion of sin in their
hearts and lives, directing their attention entirely to
a kingdom not of this world, and said but little about
their oppressions or their oppressors. One thing at a
time was as much as people or preacher could then
successfully attend to.

I have sometimes got prisoners in a good way of
seeking the Savior, when they would get an idea that
I would be just the man to get up a petition for a

392 THE MODEL PREACHER.

reprieve, and release them from prison. That invari-
ably diverted their minds from the vital question — the
soul's salvation — and I could lead them no further in
that direction.

The Savior doubtless felt, and always manifested a
profound sympathy for the people in their bodily suf-
ferings, whether from personal affliction or civil op-
pression, but a sympathy for their souls as much
greater as their spiritual interests were more import-
ant than their temporal; and.

As the purity and moral strength of a nation, or
any organization, depends solely on the purity of the
individuals composing the organization; and.

As great national sins, and organized forms of
iniquity and "oppression', could only be effectually un-
dermined, cured, and removed by the individual piety
of the people; and.

As the enlightened piety of the people individually
was the only thing that could make an easier lot in
life a blessing to their souls; and,

As an avowed, direct assault upon organized evils
would greatly complicate the already momentously
responsible work of his embassadors, draw around
them many impure ambitious spirits, and generally
divert attention from the great work of their mis-
sion— the salvation of the world, by individuals ;

Therefore, the Savior, for these, with other reasons,
probably was pleased in his wisdom to direct the
whole moral enginery of the Gospel, not to the direci
purgation of corrupt governments, and the conquest

MISCELLANEOUS SUGGESTIONS. 398

of the world en masses but to the personal applica-
tion of its saving power ^'to every creature," enjoin-
ing, by precept and example, obedience to the "poAV-
ers that be," till by this individual, regenerating, puri-
fying energy of the Gospel, those powers could be
made better.

St. Peter expresses the apostolic vievf of the sub-
ject, saying, "Submit yourselves to every ordinance
of man for the Lord's sake : whether it be to the
king, as supreme; or unto governors, as unto them
that are sent by him for the punishment of evil-doers,
and for the praise of them that do well. For so is
the will of God, that with well-doing ye may put to
silence the ignorance of foolish men: as free, and
not using your liberty for a cloak of maliciousness,
but as the servants of God." The ground on which
they urged submission is not that " the kings " were
honest and good, and "the ordinances" just and
equitable, for they were most tyrannical and corrupt,
but because government itself is a necessary institu-
tion of God, and because, though " free," and not in
justice bound to submit to unjust laws, yet, for the
"Lord's sake," by their meek example, "putting to
silence the ignorance of foolish men," and thus fur-
ther the great ends of the Gospel.

The embassadors were thus sent forth, not with
carnal, but spiritual weapons, " but mighty through
God in pulling down the strongholds " of sin in all its
forms. Such was the direct importance of their mes-
sage, that they were commanded to "salute no man

394 THE MODEL PREACHER.

by the way" — to lose no time in needless ceremony,
but run on, proclaiming the jubilant tidings, till liberty
shall be proclaimed to "all the inhabitants of the
whole earth," and the little Gospel stone shall have
rolled on, with increasing size and momentum, break-
ing down and demolishing every opposing force, indi-
vidual and governmental, and filled the world, and
*' bring in everlasting righteousness."

Some Pharisees and Herodians once combined their
influence to try to make a political partisan of Jesus,
and thus addressed him, "Master, we know that thou
art true, and teachest the way of God in truth ;
neither carest thou for any man " — thou certainly hast
opinions on the great political questions of the day,
and teaching "the way of God in truth," thou hast
right opinions, and art not afraid to express them, for
thou carest "not for any man" — no conservative
dough-face — "for thou regardest not the person of
men." "Tell us, therefore, what thinkest thou? Is
it lawful to give tribute unto CjBsar, or not?" They
hoped to commit him to one or the other of the great
contentious political parties of the nation, and thus
" entangle him." "But Jesus perceived tlieir wicked-
ness, and said. Why tempt ye me, ye hypocrites?
Shew me the tribute money. And they brought unto
him a penny. And he saith unto them. Whose is this
image and superscription? They say unto him,
Caesar's. Then saith he unto them. Render, there-
fore, unto Caesar the things Avhich arc Caesar's, and
unto God the things that are God's. When they

MISCELLANEOUS SUGGESTIONS. 395

had heard these words they marveled, and left him,
and went their way."

While, therefore, my brother, we should fearlessly
reprove sin of all kinds — private sins and public sins,
in high places and low places — we will find occasion to
use all the wisdom with which, by the exercise of
common-sense, and by the enlightening power of the
Holy Spirit, God may endow us, to plan and conduct
our modes of attack so as to promote and not defeat
the cause we seek to serve.

The reformers of the eighteenth century grasped
the sword, and the weapons of their warfare became
mixed — partly spiritual, and in a great degree carnal.
The result is patent to all. The reformers of the
nineteenth century used Gospel weapons only. The
result was a reformation of individuals, which is re-
forming nations and governments.

I would like, my brother, to make a few sugges-
tions in regard to the " earthen vessels " to which the
Gospel treasure is committed — our bodies. If you
wish to keep your head and your voice clear, and your
nerves in tune for conveying thought, give attention*
to your diet, and to exercise in the open air, and keep
your system in good condition. Nothing will so
quickly affect your voice and nervous action, and dis-
qualify you for efficient service, as constipation. Reg-
ulate your system, if possible, without medicine. If
you make an apothecary shop of yourself, you will
never be fit for much else. Do not on any account
deprive yourself of your necessary rest and regular

896 THE MODEL PREACHER.

hours for sleeping. Rob nature, and it will pursue
you like the tax collector.

An old colleasiue of mine indulo-ed the habit of sit-
ting up to talk to his friends, frequently till two
o'clock in the morning, and brought upon him a
sleepy disease. lie can not now listen to a sermon
without going to sleep no more than he can command
at will the circulation of his blood, and he frequently
takes a small nap of sleep between his opening prayer
and sermon while the congregation is singing the
second hymn. His robbed and injured nature is con-
stantly dunning and teasing him, demanding payment
with restitution, and screwing it out of him by small
installments.

In anticipation of a heavy Sabbath day's labor, I
have found it very serviceable to take vigorous exer-
cise on Saturday — chop wood, work in the garden, or
something tliat Avill exercise the whole bod}^ as much
as possible without exhaustion. Next day preaching
five sermons will produce but little weariness, and no
hoarseness. If my voice is not entirely free and
clear, after preaching tvro or three sermons, I go out
alone, and run a foot-race with myself, till I get up
rapid breathing, and thoroughly inflate my lungs.

In San Francisco, for years, after preaching three
sermons in the forenoon of each Sabbath, I was in the
habit of going out on the sand hills after dinner, and
running as fast and far as possible witliout exhauvSting
my physical force, and then go down on the plaza
with ct voice nearly as clear as a trumpet, and preach

MISCELLANEOUS SUGGESTIONS. 897

to the city and the representatives of the world
generall}^

When praying vocall}^, do n't throw your head
back. Many thus in trying to look up through the
roof of the house into the heavens, causing a heavy
strain of the vocal organs by an unnatural stretching
of the front muscles of the neck, pray themselves
hoarse in five minutes.

If you desire to speak with ease and force, and
never to "give out,'* stand erect when speaking — not
stiff, like a post — use as much natural action as you
desire, but do n't stoop forward ; keep your shoulders
back, give your lungs as much room as possible, and
learn the art of deep breathing. Preaching with
half-inHated lungs is very much like blowing a fire
with half-inflated bellows — constant labor, chafing,
and pufiing, but not force enough to raise the sparks
and heat the iron. Do n't speak with the exhausted
breath of the lungs, and occasionally, while speaking,
thoroughly inflate them by the longest breath you
can draw\ You will have plenty of time for that in
your emphatic pauses. Speak with the natural force
of expiration, using the easy contraction of the
muscles of the chest from the abdominal muscles
up as bellows power for blowing out the words. The
softest and loudest tones are thus produced.

Do n't acquire the habit of drinking water while
preaching, unless really necessary to allay thirst. It
is of no advantage to the voice.

When I feel any chafing or soreness of throat from

398 THE MODEL PREACHER.

excessive labor, I take a sup of molasses before going
to bed ; when a tendency to hoarseness, I put a small
piece of alum in my mouth for a moment. I use no
candies or any thing for my throat in preaching regu-
larly from eight to fifteen sermons every week, for
months together, besides these simple remedies, and
very seldom have any hoarseness.

If you travel through the cold in going to an ap-
pointment, and find yourself chilled, do n't go to a
stove before preaching, unless suffering greatly from
cold feet; instead of that, if you have opportunity,
walk or run till you raise the temperature of the body
to a comfortable degree.

I have not stopped to give you the philosophy of
the simple rules I have stated ; that will be obvious to
you on reflection.

The law of the Sabbath is adapted to our physical
wants as really as to the demands of our moral na-
ture, and can not in relation to either be violated with
impunity. As a minister's heaviest labor is on the
Sabbath, he ouglit to observe Saturday or Monday as
a day of rest and recreation ; but do n't indulge any
"blue Mondays."

The reaction of the excitement of Sabbath's labors
is so severe with some preachers, that on Monday
they are as snappisli as a surly cur, and their wives
have almost to stand guard at their study doors to
keep the children away from them. If you feel the
"blues" coming upon you, don't shut yourself up in
your study, nor resort to " old wives' fables," or yellow-

MISCELLANEOUS SUGGESTIONS. 399

covered, farcical trash for entertainment, but perform
your devotions, and then go out in the open air, and
take a romp with the little boys and girls — take them
near to your person and near to your heart, sing
them little songs, and tell them pleasing little stories
about good boys and girls. Attract them to you and
to your Savior, and in return they will impart ani-
mal magnetism or electricity to your overwrought
nervous system, sympathy and affection to your
heart, diversion and entertainment for your mind, and
thus recuperate your wearied energies faster than any
other specific you can employ.

On the subject of using stimulants before going
into the pulpit, my brother, allow me to say, their use
is very important.

In former days, especially in England, a little of
the ardent was provided and kept in the sanctuary
for the purpose.

Some, though perhaps but a few, at the present
time in our own country, use opium for that purpose,
or a compound of opium and spirits. A thirst is thus
created which demands a larger dose each week, and
a few cases have come to light where mighty men
have been bitten and slain by the serpent thus piously
fostered in their bosoms. I have met with several
such wrecks in California, and have heard of some in
my travels on this side of the continent.

Some get up the steam by smoking a cigar before
going into the pulpit, and after a while a couple are
necessary to produce the same efiect; and it is well if

400 THE MODEL PREACHER.

tliey are not induced to resort to something stronger
to secure the same pious end.

A great many men of unquestionable piety and
usefulness use the weed, but it is a question whether
it is exactly appropriate to stink up "the temple of
God" — their bodies — with the fumes of tobacco. I
do not know certainly whether they constitute a
*' sweet-smelling savor to the Lord" or not; but I
know they do n't smell so sweet to a poor mourner on
whom they are breathing the words of consolation.
I Avill give you, my brother, a prescription for a stim-
ulant, both wholesome and efficient.

1. A consciousness that you are going before your
people with something that will stir their souls, and
by reflex sympathy increase the stimulating tide in
your own bosom. '• See a man wise in his own con-
ceit ; there is more hope of a fool than of him ;" but
a just appreciation of the power with which God has
endowed you, and of the power of the good '' old Je-
rusalem blade," briglit and sharp, is necessary to effi-
cient action.

Elihu felt the power of this kind of stimulus when
he said, ''I also will shew mine opinion. For I am
full of matter; the spirit within me constraineth me."

2. The baptismal fire of the Holy Spirit is the best
stimulant for a preacher in the world.

3. It will be serviceable, as you have opportunity,
without wearying your vocal powers, to talk a little to
some dying Christian, or direct some trembling sinner
to the cross, visit a class, or say a few words to the

MISCELLANEOUS SUGGESTIONS. 401

children in the Sabbath school, before going into the
pulpit. If you have mastered your subject, and if
your sermon has enough of literalness in it to make
it tell on your hearers, there is no danger of driving
it out of your mind by the kind of conversation I
have prescribed, but light, commonplace talk operates
injuriously. In San Francisco I used to visit the pa-
tients in the hospital in the morning, and preach to as
many of them as were able to assemble in one room.
That constituted a stimulant -which brought out the
sympathies of my soul, quickened nervous action,
and prepared me for the labors of the day.

4. When you get into the pulpit, reassure yourself
of your call to be an embassador of Christ, and that
you are about to " teach your hearers to observe all
things whatsoever ho hath commanded," and then by
the promise, " Lo, I am with you always," realize by
faith that the world's Redeemer is in the pulpit with
you, as really present as though you saw him with
your eyes — present in his spiritual nature, in his es-
sential divinity, in all the fullness of his saving pow-
er. A faithful application of this prescription, my
brother, will supersede the necessity of any other,
and always operate with satisfactory success.

Whether your inspiration be much or little, my

brother, do not preach long sermons. From thirty

to fifty minutes is long enough for a sermon, unless

the occasion is much more than ordinary. That is

the rule — this the exception. Many a suit at law has

been lost because the advocate covered too much
34

402 THE MODEL PREACHER.

ground, introduced too much testimony, and made too
long a speech to the jury. All he needs are a few
clear, apposite points, well sustained by unquestion-
able evidence, summed up with such brevity and force
as to carry the judgment of the court, interspersed
with surprise power enough to wake up a lively inter-
est, and arouse the sympathies of judge and jury.

It is said of Sir John Scarlett, a celebrated English
barrister, that he never occupied more than from
twenty-five to thirty minutes in addressing a jury, for
the reason that all the time he could subsequently
occupy would only force out of the heads of the jury
what he had put in during the first twenty-five
minutes.

Often, when a preacher has driven a nail in a sure
place, instead of clinching it, and securing well the
advantage he has gained, he hammers away till he
breaks the head off or splits the board, or, in other
words, diverts attention from the effective point al-
ready made, to what he has yet to say, but fails to
drive another such nail that day.

Never introduce yourself to an audience by a
string of apologies ; they are poor things, and never
converted any sinners. Never preface your sermon
with an introduction merely for the sake of having
one. I once knew a preacher that generally intro-
duced all his sermons with the same exordium. If
you find an introduction necessary, use it ; but if you
can strike the key-note of your subject in your first
sentence, all the better. In your expositions of

MISCELLANEOUS SUGGESTIONS. 403

Scripture, try to find out the meaning of the Holy
Spirit, and convey the Spirit's ideas and your own in
the fewest words consistent with clearness, and in the
most simple, literal words suited to the subject.
Never use words simply for the sake of sound, or to
fill up your sentences. Words are designed as the
vehicles of ideas, and not substitutes for them.

Learn all you can from books, but select your
preaching matter mainly from God's books of inspired
truth, of nature, and of providence. Many men spend
nearly all their time in their studies, plodding along
in the path of other thinkers, stuffing memory with
their thoughts, till they take intellectual dyspepsia;
whereas, if they would just go out into God's fields
of original truth, they could dig up the virgin gold
from the mine with greater success than many of the
men they read after ; and then it would be fresh and
original, and all their own, and the exercise, develop-
ing equally all their powers, mental and moral,
would be most healthful and invigorating. The
knowledge thus gained is much more available and
effective.

^HE END

THE MODEL PREACHER.

TTr£:iL<VJE: THLOTJSA.IVI^ I»TJBXiISHE:i>.

TESTIMONY OF THE PRESS.

The "Model Prcaclier" consists of a series of letters illustrating the best
modes of jireaching the Gospel, by Rev. William Taylor. Mr. Taylor is well
known by his useful and extraordinary laV)ors, and by several popular books.
This volume. is a good specimen of the man — it is full of direct, practical
thought, strong cu:nuion-seuse, and ardent, pious sentiment. — Christian Advo-
cate and Journal.

The author mingles much of his own experience in sermonizing, which ha8
certainly been varied and successtul. He brings also anecdote and illustration,
of which his fund seems inexhaustible — not merely to enliven his work, but to
make it trenchant. We think no young preacher can read it without receiv-
ing practical hints of great value to him. — Ladies' Bepository.

D. D. Whedon, D. D., says, in the Methodist Quarterly Beview, "Mr. Taylor's
images, pictures, reflections, and suggestions are not the distillation of second-
hand ideas through other men's books, but are freshly taken from nature and
real life. Few of his jjrecepts for composition and sermonizing are found in
Blair or Claude. He has chapters on Arresting Attention, Surprises, Surprise
Power, Surprise Appropriate to the Pulpit, well worth study and practical
adoption by our pulpit routiners. We give the work a hearty commendation."

Father Tobias Spicer, D. D., says, "The first chapter alone is worth to any
young preacher the cost of the book."

Professor William Hunter, D. D., says, " This book develops the author's
theory and ideas concerning preaching. As such it is highly interesting; for
it is well known that brother Taylor is eminently successful as a preacher.
The aim of the author is to present to his readers a picture of our Savior him-
self as a preacher. The Savior is Taylor's 'Model Preacher.' I wish to say,
moreover, that although the book is addressed to a preacher, and on the sub-
ject of preaching, yet its treatment is such that almost any religious person
will le deeply interested in perusing it. There is a charm about it, like the
author's preaching— a freshness, a raciness, an abundance of apt illustration,
that captivates the ordinary reader, and leads him on from chapter to chapter
to the end of the book."

SEVEN YEARS'
STREET PREACIIINCt IN SM FRANCISCO,

EMBRACING

Incidents and Triumphant Deatli Scenes.

2'7-,000 JF» "CJ I^ Ij X s n :

Testimony of the Press.

Among the first of our noble army of occupation in California was the Rev.
William Taylor. In labors he has been more abundant, and as fearless as
laborious. His book, as a book of mere incident and adventure, possesses
uncommon interest; but as a record of missionary toil and success its interest
is immensely increased. The sketches of personal character and death-bed
ecenes are thrilling. — Ladies' lieposilory.

The observation and experience recorded abounds with the most pleasing
interest, and the scenes are described with much graphic power and felicity. —
Baltimore Smi.

As a religious history, it occupies a new department in Californian litera-
ture; and its incidents and triumphant death scenes are of the most interest-
ing character. — American Spectator.

It is a very entertaining volume, full of adventure, grave and gay, in the
streets of a new city, and among a psculiar people. — New York Observer.

The London Review, for April, 1858, devotes nearly four pages to "Seven
Years^ Street Preacldng in San Francisco,^' from which the following is an
extract: " The appearance of Mr. Taylor's work on Street Preaching, at a time
when so much attention is turned to this subject, when parochial clergj'men,
and even bishops, have caught the mantle of Whitefield and the Wesleys, ia
singularly opportune. And the book itself so thoroughly good, so deeply inter-
esting, and so rejjlote with wise counsels and examples of what street preach-
ing ought to be, that we can not but wish fur it a wide circulation. The writer
teils his story with the simplicity and directness of a child, and the incidents
related are of a most unusual and romantic kind. Too much can not be said In
praise of the nervous, plain, vigorous style of the author's preaching. Foi
clearness, directness, and force, the specimens given in this book have never
been surpassed."

This is a graphic description of the labors of a missionary among the most
complex, and perhaps most wicked, and at the same time excited and active
population in the world. It is a very rich book, and deserves a large sale. —
Zion's Herald.

We like the spirit and daring of the author of this book. But few like him
live among men. With an undoubted piety, and courage like a lion, he
preached Christ at a time, in San Francisco, when Satan reigned about as tri-
umphant as he ever has on any other spot of the cursed earth. The book will
be read, and it will do good wherever it is read. — Buffalo Christian Advocate.

This book is a real contribution to the religious history of that country.
For raciness of style, it is one of the most readable books that has fallen into
our hands. — Pittsburg Christian Advocate.

The state of society which Mr. Taylor describes is altrost anomalous, and
his pictures are boldly and clearly drawn. — New York Evening Post.

CALIFORNIA LIFE ILLUSTRATED.

Tweiit}-Foiir Tlionr-aisd PublislipJ.

TESTjMONY OF THE PRESS.

Mr. Taylor, as our rc-aders may see by consulting onr Synopsis of the Qnar*
tfi'lif.s, is acceptcrl on both siilcg uf the Atlantic, as well as on the shores of th«
Pacific, as a rep:ular "pioneer." The readers of his former work will find th»
interest aroused by its jjagcs amply sustained in this. Its pictorial illustrations
aid in bringing California before us. — llethodist Quarterly Review.

Full of interesting and instructive information, abounding in striking inci-
dent, tliis is a book that every body will be interested in reading. Indeed,
Bcarcely any thing can bo found that will give a more picturesque and sti-iking
view of life in Califiunia. — New YorJc Observer.

Mr. Taylor has recently published a work entitled California Life Illustrated,
which is one of the most interesting books we ever read — full of stirring inci-
dent. Those who wish to see California life, without going thither, can get a
better idea, especially of its religious aspects, from this and the former book of
Mr. Taylor on the subject, than from any other source conveniently accessible. —
Editor of Christian Advocate and Journal, New York.

The author of this volume is favorably known to many readers by his pre-
vious work, in wliich he relates the experience of seven years' street preaching
in San Francisco. He here continues the inartificial, but graphic, sketches
which compose the substance of this volume, and, by his simjile narratives,
gives a lively illustration of the social condition of California. During his
residence in that state, he was devoted exclusively to his work as a missionary
of the Methodist Church, and, by his fearlessness, zeal, and self-denial, won
the confidence of the whole population. He was frequently thrown in contact
witli gamblers, chevaliers d' industrie, and adventurers of every description, but
he never shrunk from the administration of faithful rebuke, and, in so doing,
often won the hearts of the most abandoned. His visits to the sick in the hos-
pitals were productive of great good. Unwearied in his exertions, he had suc-
ceeded in establishing a system of wholesome religious influences, when the
great financial crash in San Francisco interrupted his labors, and made it ex-
pedient for him to return to this region in order to obtain resources for future
action. His book was, accordingly, written in the interests of a good cause,
which will commend it to the friends of religious culture in California, while
its own intrinsic vivacity and naturalness will well reward the general reader
for its perusal. — Harper's New Monthly Blagar.ine.

Mr. Taylor is a live vian, and has produced a live book. This is undoubt-
edly the best delineation of California life, as it was, extant. Scenes of thrill-
ing excitement, of touching tenderness, of noble heroism, and of dark crime —
not concocted in the brain of the novelist, but enacted in real life — are here de-
picted. No person can claim to know what California was till he has read
this volume. — Ladiea' liejmsitory.

It is a series of sketches, abounding in interesting and touching incidents
of missionary life, dating with the early hi.story of the country, and the great
gold excitement of 1849, and up, f(;r several years, illustrating, as with the
pencil of a master in his art, the early phases of civil and social life, as thej-
presented themselves, struggling for lieing and influence amid the conflicting
elements of gold n;ania, fostered by licentiousness, and unchecked hy the sacred
influence of religion, familj', and home. Containing a striking demonstra-
tion of the refining, [.urifying tendencies of female influence, rendered sancti-
fying, when pervaded by religion, giving such an insight into the secret work-
ings of the human heart and mind, as will be in vain sought for in the books
called mental and moral jihilosophy, withdrawing the vail which ordinarily
screens the emotions of the sotiI, leaving the patient student a calm look at the
very life pulsations of humanity, and grow wise. Statistically the work is of
great value to those seeking information concerning the country, with a view
to investment or settlement. — Trxax Advucute.

Princeton Theological Seminary-Speer Library

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